The Bear and the Bee
by jessa824
Summary: An Oliver Wood/OC love story.  Bryony hates Oliver, but he likes her.  Will she learn to like him, or will he annoy her until the end of time?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I do not own HP or any of the characters from the books. I own Bryony, her family, and any other characters that you don't recognize. I will not be re-posting this for every chapter._

I hate Oliver Wood. That's the first thing that I tell anyone who asks me if I know him. He's a pompous ass and completely obsessed with Quidditch. He's also a Gryffindor. I am, naturally, a Ravenclaw. By the way, my name is Bryony Martin. I've known Oliver since we were small children. Our dads played quidditch together and then bought houses very near each other, so we've been thrown together a lot. It also helps that we're the same age. He's only a couple months older than I am, so we did a lot of things together, like homeschooling when we were small and going to Hogwarts.

We were best friends as children, playing around often. He taught me how to fly, though I avoid broomsticks for the most part now. I took a nasty fall and haven't really wanted to get on one since then. Then, we went to Hogwarts and got separated, but I really started to hate him when he forgot about me to play quidditch in second year. I've spent the last four years trying to forget that we were ever friends. Now, when we pass in the hall, we don't even acknowledge each other, which is a step up from hexing each other.

So, the summer before our sixth year was almost unbearable. He was strutting around like a peacock and telling everyone who would listen that he was sure to win the Quidditch cup thanks to his new star seeker, Harry Potter. I wanted to beat him over the head with a beater's bat. My Mum yelled at me when she found me searching for my dad's old bat in the attic, especially after she forced me to tell her why I wanted the thing in the first place.

My sister, Amy, got married at the end of the summer. She is six years older than I am and we really have nothing in common. She's perfect and I'm not. She finished healer training; I don't really want to be a healer, but it's what my parents have planned for me. She married the person that my parents wanted her to. I hate the guy they keep trying to set me up with. So, when Oliver and his parents, Stella and Duncan, arrived for the wedding, my parents, Leona and William, thrust us together. "Bryony, dear," said my mum, "you know Oliver Wood." I rolled my eyes at her. She knew we knew each other.

"Wood," I said, through gritted teeth.

"Martin," he replied, also sounding annoyed, and also rolling his eyes.

"Good, you're friends," Stella said, hopefully. Bless her; she had no idea that we really couldn't stand each other.

Oliver started to say something, but I cut him off. "That's right, Mrs. Wood," I said. "We'll be fine. Have a good evening."

I led him away from our beaming parents. "Why did you let them think that we like each other?" he asked when we were out of earshot.

"Because, my parents don't need to worry about us causing a scene today," I answered. "I'll agree to a truce for now and I promise not to hex you today. Tomorrow, I may try to kick your arse, but at least for a few hours, you're safe."

"Fine," he huffed. "But remember that I'm only doing this as a favor to our parents."

"Fair enough," I replied. "We should find our table." We glanced at the list and found our table. We both groaned when we realized that we were stuck at the children's table.

"Do you think they'll ever realize that we're not 6 anymore?" Oliver joked.

"Probably not," I groaned. "We should get this over with." I strode off toward our table and didn't notice that Oliver hadn't followed until he set two glasses down in front of me.

"Care to make the evening more interesting?" he offered. He had somehow procured a bottle of whiskey.

"Where did you get that?" I asked.

"From the bar," he answered. "Do you want a drink?" I was torn. I wanted a drink, but I also didn't want to drink with Oliver and his really gorgeous eyes. Damn, I shouldn't be thinking about his eyes. I have a boyfriend, who hasn't really written me all summer, but still…

"If I drink with you, will I still be allowed to hate you again later?" I asked.

"Hate me all you want, love," he answered. He poured us each a fair measure of whiskey and raised a glass, saying, "Cheers." He drank his entire glass in one shot. I started coughing. "It's a little strong if you're not used to it."

"Shut up," I ordered. We finished the bottle just as the dancing started. I was surprised when Oliver stood and offered me a hand.

"Come and dance," he ordered, but with the hint of asking. I didn't want to leave him standing, especially when a couple of the girls at the table were making eyes at him, so I took his outstretched hand and followed him to the dance floor.

We danced for an hour before we took a break to get another drink. "A toast to O.W.L. results," he offered; I agreed and we drank.

"How many O.W.L.s did you get?" I asked.

"Six," he answered. "You?"

"I'm impressed," I replied. "I got 8. I didn't pass Divination, thank Merlin. What did you get your O.W.L.s in?"

"Potions, Transfiguration, Defense, Charms, Astronomy, and Arithmancy," he answered. "Are you going to be in all of those classes?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm dropping Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and History of Magic." We stopped talking about classes and resumed dancing. The band had started to play a slow song and I started to leave, but Oliver grabbed my hand and pulled me in for another dance.

"You really look beautiful today," he said. "I'm sorry I've been a prat this summer."

"I've ignored you," I answered. "And thank you for the compliment." He was staring at my lips and started to pull me in closer. I suddenly remembered I had a boyfriend and pulled away quickly. In the process, I tripped over my dress and twisted my ankle.

"Let me help you out of here before our parents find out we're wasted," he offered. He picked me up and carried me to my bedroom. He sat on my bed with me, massaging my ankle. Again, our heads were very close together and he leaned in to kiss me.

"I need you to stop," I ordered. "You know I have a boyfriend." We sat in silence for a few moments, while he continued to rub my sore ankle. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I feel responsible for getting you drunk," he slurred.

"That's not it," I reasoned. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I should be," he spat. "You could have just said 'Thank you, Oliver' and let it go." He shoved my feet out of his lap and stood quickly. "You'll want to ice that ankle."

"What would you know?" I asked, sarcastically.

"I know that I'm an athlete and have injured myself more than once," he answered. "But don't take my word for it." With that, he left me sitting on my bed, drunk and confused. He had been acting like he wanted to kiss me all day, but when I wouldn't let him do it, he got all mad and stormed out. I managed to wiggle out of my dress without assistance, so I changed into my pajamas and went to bed.

I woke the next morning, far too early for my liking, to my mother pounding on the door. "Where did you run off to last night?" she asked, barging in. It's nice that she waits for me to invite her.

"I twisted my ankle and came back here," I answered, trying to hide under my pillow. Damn the sun and its exceeding brightness.

"Oliver came with you," she stated. She had seen him carrying me out of the party.

"He carried me up here and left," I answered. "Now, for the love of Merlin, decent people are not up at this ungodly hour. Let me get back to sleep."

"Bryony, it's nearly noon," she said. "It's time to get up." I managed to pull myself out of my covers before she added, "And Oliver's here to see you." She smirked and left my room. There are times when I actually hate my mother.

I had just finished putting my bra on when Oliver let himself into my room. "Bloody hell, doesn't anybody wait for an invitation?" I shouted. "Get out!"

"Oh, sweet Merlin," he stammered. "I'm sorry." He was backing away, but very slowly.

I threw a stuffed bear at him and shouted again, "Get the bloody hell out of my room." My head was pounding and I suddenly wanted to throw up. I ran out of my room and shoved Oliver out of my way before reaching the bathroom and vomiting. Oliver followed and held my hair back.

"I came by to give you this," he said, sheepishly, handing me a vial.

"What is it?" I asked, my throat all scratchy.

"It's a hangover cure," he answered. "Drink it and stop the pounding in your head."

"Thanks," I said, downing the potion in one drink. It tasted mildly of strawberries. "Is there strawberry in this?" I asked, as the hives started forming all over me.

"It makes it taste better," he said.

"I'm allergic to strawberries, you ass!" I shouted, though my head had stopped pounding. I ran past him again to get an allergy potion before my throat closed. Meanwhile, my ankle felt like it was going to burst from all the running and I hadn't iced it.

"I'm so sorry," he called, following me to the kitchen.

"Just go away," I begged. "Every time you come near me, I seem to get sick somehow. So, please, just stay away from me."

"Sorry," he muttered before sadly walking out the door.

I almost felt guilty, but in the span of just over five minutes, he had seen me in just my bra and shorts, he had seen me vomit and then, he had given me a potion to which I was allergic. To top it off, my ankle still hadn't been iced from when I twisted it and I was in a lot of pain. My mother burst into my room. "What is going on?" she demanded.

"Well, Mum, Oliver doesn't knock or wait for a response before entering a room either," I said, seething with anger. "He barged in here and saw me in just my bra. Then, he followed me to the bathroom while I vomited and handed me a potion laced with strawberries. The hives had started to break out before I could get to the allergy potion."

"You lot are going to have to learn to get along," she said.

"Would you just go away?" I asked. "The day has gone from bad to worse and my ankle needs ice." I iced my ankle for a bit before finally venturing out of the sanctuary of my room. When I got downstairs, there was a note from Amy, scolding me for leaving her wedding early. Leave it to my sister to make my personal hell all about her.

My dad was waiting in the sitting room for me. "Dear, you should go and apologize to Oliver for being so rude earlier."

"Dad, did Mum tell you everything?" I asked. "I don't think I was rude in demanding that he get out of my room when I was practically naked. And I don't think I was being rude when I asked him to leave after he nearly poisoned me."

"Well, dear, you're not in trouble for throwing him out of your room, but he didn't know about your strawberry allergy," he said. "You are to go and apologize before you do anything else today."

In a huff, I walked over to the Wood's house and asked to see Oliver. He joined me in the sitting room a few moments after I arrived. "I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier," I said. "You didn't know about my strawberry allergy."

"That's it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sorry for throwing you out of my room while I was changing," I reasoned. "You should have knocked and waited for a response." He started to retort, but I cut him off. "Look, I was ordered to come and apologize and I've done it. I'll see you at school." Then, I went home.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later, my parents took me to London to catch the train back to school. It always baffled me that I would have to go from Edinburgh to London to catch a train to Scotland, but I wasn't allowed to question it. So, I went with them, staying in London for a night before going to King's Cross to catch the train.

I met up with my best friends, Jemma Hayes and Christie Stewart, on the train. We found our own compartment and were gossiping about our summers when the doors opened. "I've been waiting for you," said Tim Jeffries, my boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Tim," I said. "I've been here for a while catching up with Jemma and Christie."

"I thought we had arranged to meet on the platform," he snarled. He had sent me an owl a day before I left for London, demanding that I meet him on the platform, but I had never really agreed to it. Instead of causing a scene and picking a fight, though, I just apologized.

"Come on in and make yourself at home, Tim," Jemma suggested. He was seething and she was clueless.

"No, but perhaps Bryony would join me in a walk," he countered. I shrugged my shoulders and followed him into the hall. We had a brief argument, during which I apologized at least 3 more times for forgetting to meet him on the platform. Unfortunately, we were outside Oliver's compartment and he heard the fighting so he came out.

"What's going on, B?" he asked.

"Everything is fine, Oliver," I answered. "You can leave now." He nodded curtly and left the scene, but not for long.

"What the bloody hell is going on with you and Oliver sodding Wood?" Tim demanded.

"Nothing is going on," I promised. "I've known him since I was born, remember? I told you all about it."

"I remember nothing," he sneered. Then, he shouted something about me cheating on him with Oliver and he came back into the hallway.

"Mate, leave her be if you want your face to remain as it is," Oliver warned. "There is nothing going on with me and Bryony and you don't need to be such a dick to her."

"Stay out of it, Wood," Tim ordered. "This doesn't concern you." A small crowd was gathering and I thought I could die.

"It concerns me, Jeffries, if you're being an arse to a friend of mine," Oliver snarled. They had started circling each other.

"Boys, cut the bullshit," I ordered. "Tim, there is nothing going on between me and Oliver and Oliver, just let it go."

"I'm going back inside but only because she asked," Oliver said, through gritted teeth. "But, Jeffries, be warned. If I hear anything more coming from you that is in any way demeaning to her, I'm coming back out and I'm going to kick your sorry arse all the way back to London."

"I'm terrified," Tim said.

"You know, I don't need this drama in my life," I said. "You can both go to hell." I stormed off down the corridor and returned to my compartment with Jemma and Christie. I locked the door behind me and spent the next hour ignoring Tim's knocking.

"Should we let him in?" Jemma asked.

"No," I ordered. "He needs to learn that I'm not a toy and am capable of handling myself."

"You should break up with him," Christie suggested. "He's a total ass."

"Not yet," I said. I didn't really want to be single just yet. We moved on and I explained what had happened with Oliver at my sister's wedding (leaving out the parts where we almost kissed twice).

"What is with him?" Jemma asked. "He must like you or something." I started to protest, but Jemma cut me off. "He was trying to be sweet to you at your sister's wedding and he was protective of you today with Tim. I think he likes you."

"Care to chime in, Christie?" I asked.

"I'm not sure just yet," she answered. "I'm going to have to watch and see what happens." By then, we were nearing Hogsmeade station. When the train stopped, we got out and found a carriage. I was still refusing to speak to either Oliver or Tim, both of whom tried to speak to me.

When we entered the Great Hall, I sat at the Ravenclaw table with my friends. Tim, who was in Slytherin, was forced to sit with his house and Oliver joined the other Gryffindors. The sorting seemed to take forever and by the time dinner was served I was famished. I raced through my dinner, hoping to leave before either of the boys. I was almost successful.

Tim caught me in the entrance hall on my way to Ravenclaw tower. "What do you mean by ignoring me?" he demanded. "I'm a sought after kind of bloke with a good family."

"And now you're being an arse," I snapped. "You won't listen to me, no matter what I say. So, until you learn to listen, don't speak to me."

"You don't get to talk to me like that Bryony," he snarled. He had grabbed my arm, refusing to let go and, now, he was twisting it.

"Stop it," I ordered. "You're hurting me." He wouldn't let go, so I started to squirm. I begged, but he held his grip. So, I kicked him, hard, in the shin.

"You stupid bitch," he shouted and slapped me across the face.

Oliver had followed him and saw him slap me. He ran over and punched him in the side of the head. "You wanker! Didn't anyone ever teach you never to hit a woman?" he shouted.

Tim, still gripping my arm, turned to hit Oliver and threw me across the hall. I got up and ran away, leaving them to their fight. I was sobbing by the time I reached Ravenclaw tower, and terribly embarrassed by the display. When Jemma and Christie burst in, they sat on my bed, asking what happened. I told them everything up to where I ran off.

"Then you didn't see Tim punch Oliver in the face," Christie said. "I think he might have given him a black eye."

"Great," I cried. "I'm probably going to have to apologize for that too."

"Don't worry, love," Jemma said, consolingly. "Oliver got him back with another punch to the head and knocked him out."

"And, he totally fancies you," Christie added, smirking. "He wouldn't have done anything that's going to land him in detention with Professor McGonagall for a week if he didn't fancy you."

"Lovely," I said. "I'm going to bed." I crawled under the covers and dreaded going to class the next day.

The next morning, I got my schedule from Professor Flitwick, who informed me that he and Professors McGonagall and Snape wanted to see me after classes that day. On top of that, my first class of the day was double Potions. So far, sixth year was turning out to be a disaster.

I arrived at Potions with just a few moments to spare before Professor Snape entered the dungeon. I took a seat at a table alone, hoping to remain that way. Unfortunately, Oliver dropped his belongings at my table, by order of Professor Snape, just after he entered the class. Gladly, Tim hadn't managed to get an O.W.L. in Potions and had to drop the class.

"Must you sit here?" I asked.

"Professor Snape told me to," Oliver answered. It was then that I noticed the black eye that he was sporting.

"Is that because of me?" I asked.

"No, it's because Tim Jeffries is an arse who doesn't deserve you," he answered.

"I'm sorry he punched you," I said.

"It's not your fault," he whispered as Snape called us back to attention.

At the end of class, I went to the greenhouses for Herbology. Tim was in this class with me. I ignored him as much as I could. Professor Sprout gave us our assignment and set us to work. The work load for N.E.W.T. level classes was going to be insane. At the end of the class, when she set our homework, she gave us a lecture about her expectations for us.

My next class, after lunch and a free period, was Transfiguration. Again, Oliver joined me in class, but again, Tim failed to make the cut. This class, however, I sat with Christie. "Did he get that black eye from Tim?" she asked, indicating Oliver.

"Yeah," I said. "I apologized and he said I needn't worry. It wasn't my fault."

"He really fancies you," she teased. "You are going to be the envy of every girl in the school, almost."

"I am not," I argued. "He's not the cutest bloke here. Although, he does have really lovely eyes."

"Not to mention, he has the best bum in the world," Christie joked. I knew that she was dating one of the blokes in our house, Michael Preston, and he was on the quidditch team and very fit.

Professor McGonagall called the class to attention and started with her lecture on the difficulties of N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration. By the time the lesson ended, I was dead tired. Of course, I had to go and meet Professor Flitwick in his office. I gathered my books and started to leave when Professor McGonagall called my name.

"Miss Martin, Mr. Wood," she called. "Professors Flitwick and Snape, and Mr. Jeffries will join us here momentarily."

"Yes, Professor," I said, as I sat down.

Tim joined us a few moments later and was about to start a fight with me when Professor McGonagall ordered him to sit down and shut up. When the others arrived, I noticed that they had been joined by Professor Dumbledore. "I shall want to hear from Miss Martin what happened," he said.

"Tim and I had a fight on the train," I started. "It was about nothing important. It carried on after dinner. I left; he followed and grabbed my arm. He wouldn't let go and Oliver hit him. When he let go, I ran off. I don't know what happened after that."

"Mr. Wood, why don't you tell me what happened?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I saw Jeffries and Bryony fighting on the train," he explained. "After dinner, I saw him follow her out of the Great Hall. I finished my dinner and began to head back to Gryffindor Tower when I heard her asking him to let her go. She said that he was hurting her, and he kept twisting her arm. He wouldn't let her go, so she asked again. He called her a vile name and slapped her across the face. That's when I got involved. I punched him and pulled him off her. He punched me in the eye, then I punched him again."

"You forgot the part where she kicked me," Tim added. "She kicked me before I did anything to her."

"There, you see, Professor Dumbledore," said Professor Snape. "Mr. Jeffries was defending himself from what was obviously an attack by Miss Martin and Mr. Wood jumped in for reasons that are unclear."

"He hit her," Oliver interjected. "I wouldn't have laid a hand on him if he hadn't hit her first."

"Didn't you threaten him on the train?" asked Professor Snape.

"I told him on the train that I didn't want to hear them fighting in the hallway anymore," Oliver stated, plainly.

"Professor Dumbledore," I interjected. "What Oliver is saying is true. He wouldn't have gotten involved if Jeffries hadn't threatened, and harmed, me first. Now, could you please just dole out punishments so that I can go eat and do homework?"

"Wood," said Professor McGonagall, "you will have detention on tonight, tomorrow, and Friday evening at 7 and on Saturday at 1 in the afternoon. Also, I'm taking 10 points from Gryffindor." Oliver nodded and accepted his punishment. I thought it was a bit harsh, but he was fine. Professor Snape gave Jeffries a single detention, and didn't take any points.

"Miss Martin," said Professor Flitwick, "you have done nothing wrong. You are free to go."

"You are all free to go," Professor Dumbledore added. We rose and left.

"I'm glad to be done of you," Tim said in the hallway. "You really aren't worth my time."

"Sod off, Tim," I said, striding away. I went to dinner and met up with my friends. I immediately told them about the meeting with the professors. They agreed that Professor Snape was far too easy on Tim and that Professor McGonagall was hard on Oliver. "If I didn't hate him, I'd almost feel bad for Oliver," I finished.

"Don't feel guilty," said Oliver behind me. "I just wanted to make sure you're o.k." He looked sad and I was going to ignore him, but Christie jabbed me in the side.

"If there is anything I can do to get you out of trouble, I'll do it," I offered.

"Really, B, I don't mind," he answered. "I'll see you in Charms tomorrow." He looked happier when he left than he had when he first arrived.

"Seriously, B, go after him," Jemma said. "You'll kill the romance if you don't."

"There's no romance," I argued. Jemma gave me a stern look, so I got up and went after Oliver. I caught him in the hallway. "Wait up, Oliver," I called.

He stopped and let me catch up. "I really am sorry that you got in trouble for me and I'm sorry that you have a black eye," I said.

"Love, I've told you before, it's not your fault," he replied. "How's your arm?"

"Bruised," I answered. "Can we take a walk?" He nodded and we walked in silence for a bit. We ended up at the Quidditch pitch. "How did you get us here?"

"It's where I go," he explained. "Every time I need to be alone, I come here. It's my sanctuary."

"It's really peaceful when the stands are empty," I agreed. "I was wrong before."

"When?" he asked.

"When I said I hated you," I answered. "I don't hate you." We stopped walking and he looked directly into my eyes. "I… should really get back. I've got loads of homework."

"Right," he said, quietly. "I'll see you in Charms, then." I nodded and walked back to Ravenclaw tower.


	3. Chapter 3

The next two days went by in a blur. I tried to talk to Professor McGonagall to ask her to release Oliver from his detentions. He didn't want me to try, but I wouldn't have felt right about letting him take the fall for me. Finally, I asked to be included in his detention. She wasn't going to let me, but I begged. "Please, Professor," I begged. "It was my fault that he knocked Jeffries out."

"So you asked him to punch him?" she reasoned.

"Well, no," I answered.

"Then, you somehow orchestrated the fight, knowing that he would get into it?" she continued.

"No, Professor," I replied. "I was trying to get back to my commons, but I still feel responsible."

"Miss Martin, I can't see a reason to put you in detention, but since you seem insistent, I'll have you join Mr. Wood on Saturday afternoon," she offered. I agreed and left for Astronomy class.

By the next afternoon, I was almost dreading detention, but Christie reminded me that I had asked to go. So, after lunch, while my friends went outside to enjoy the day, I went to Professor McGonagall's office for my detention with Oliver.

"Why are you here?" he asked while we waited.

"Miss Martin seems to think that she deserves to be here too," said Professor McGonagall before I could answer. He gave me a look and I nodded.

"B, you don't need to be here," he promised. "I made the decision. You can go back to hating me all you want." Professor McGonagall set us the task of cleaning the trophy room and left us alone.

"I told you the other night that I don't really hate you," I said after a silence.

"Sure you do," he offered. "You just think you don't hate me at the moment because you think I did something nice for you. Tomorrow, you'll remember that I forgot that you're allergic to strawberries and gave you a potion that had strawberry flavoring in it or that I nearly broke your ankle at your sister's wedding or that I barged into your room and got quite an eyeful."

"You had me at strawberries," I teased. "Why are you so insistent that I hate you at the moment?"

"It's easier for me if you hate me," he answered. "Then, I don't have to try to drum up the courage to ask you out because I know it will never happen." I didn't say anything else. Oliver had just admitted that he fancied me without actually realizing it. Maybe he did realize it, but it just left me confused.

When Professor McGonagall released us, I went to leave. "Wait for a moment," Oliver asked. "What I said in there, please just forget it."

"If that's what you want," I offered. I walked back to Ravenclaw tower slowly, needing the time to think to myself.

Oliver was becoming a complete enigma to me. The boy I had thought of as stupid and quidditch obsessed was smart enough to have made it into N.E.W.T. level Potions and Transfiguration. He was showing me a side of himself that I hadn't seen since we were children.

I couldn't imagine that he had fancied me at all. My friends had been insisting since the train to school that he did, but I didn't want to believe them, because if I did, I would have to admit that I fancied him too. I had arrived at the library without realizing where I was going. Jemma and Christie were probably still outside, but I had no real desire to see them. I really wanted a brother or a sister, but since I didn't have a brother (Oliver had been the closest thing to a brother I'd ever had) and my sister was worthless, I was left on my own.

I wandered around for another few minutes before I decided to walk to the quidditch pitch. Oliver was flying around, practicing with some quaffles that he had bewitched to fly at him. I watched from the tunnel to the locker rooms, waiting for him to land. He came through a half an hour later.

"You can be a total arse," I said, scaring him.

"Bloody hell, woman, are you trying to kill me?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Go ahead, then," he suggested. He had taken his shirt off for practice and was quite distracting. He was fitter than I had thought.

"Would you mind putting your shirt on?" I asked. He rolled his eyes, and pulled his t-shirt over his head. "Thanks. Anyway, what you asked earlier, I can't forget what you said."

"What is it that you think I said?" he asked. He was very frustrating.

"You said that it was easier for you if I hate you because then you know I'll never go out with you," I answered. Ravenclaws have good memories.

"Ah, that," he said. "Why can't you forget it?"

I started to get frustrated and groaned. "You are very frustrating," I said. "You act like you hate me for years. Then, suddenly this summer, you almost kiss me twice in one day. Now, you're telling me that you want me to hate you. I don't get you."

"I don't get you either," he said. "You acted all mad that I accidentally walked into your room while you were changing, but don't think I didn't notice you checking me out earlier. For years, you tell me you hate me with every fiber of your being and now, you're here doing what, exactly? And as for the summer, it was the whiskey that almost kissed you, not me."

"You know something," I replied, shocked at how mean he was being. "You're right. It's much easier to hate you because the alternative just gets me hurt. So, have a nice life and don't bother me anymore." I strode off, back to Ravenclaw tower. When I reached the common room, I ignored my friends and ran into the dorm. I pulled the curtains closed and cried. I pretended to sleep when Jemma and Christie came in, but they had come to get me to go to dinner.

"Come on, B," Jemma whined. "We're all hungry."

"Who are 'we'?" I asked.

"Me and Christie and Mike and Robbie," she answered. "We want to go to dinner."

"Go without me," I suggested. "I'm not hungry."

"What happened?" Christie demanded.

"I don't want to talk about it," I replied. "Just go and bring me something back." They left and I did homework while they were gone. When they returned, they forced me to tell them what had happened. "I just don't get him," I finished.

"You should go out with someone else," Jemma suggested. "Let him see what he's missing out on."

"I don't think you should date anyone right now," Christie offered. "You just broke up with Tim and that was a horrible experience for you. Just stay single for a while, but don't let Oliver sodding Wood ruin your life. You shouldn't have to be hiding up here because he pissed you off."

"Is there a party tonight?" I asked. The first weekend back to school was notorious for the large party that was always thrown. Almost all of the houses got together (Slytherins didn't usually come) and everyone from 4th year up got together to drink and dance.

"Of course," Jemma promised. "It's in the Charms classroom at 9:00. I got the password from a Hufflepuff bloke that fancies me. I heard the Weasley Twins were in charge of getting the alcohol."

By 9:15 we were dressed in our favorite argyles (a tradition from Ravenclaw house) and sneaking through the hallways to the welcome back party. When we arrived, we gave the password and entered the room. It was packed with people and the drinks were flowing. Apparently, the Weasley Twins had done a good job of getting the alcohol.

I grabbed a glass of something and started drinking. After a few glasses, I was having a really good time. I danced with a few blokes, mostly from my own house, but also a Hufflepuff. I was dancing with a 7th year Ravenclaw when someone tapped my shoulder.

"We need to get out of here," Jemma said. "Someone has it that Filch is on his way."

"Right," I said. "Thanks for the dance, but I've got to go." I started to leave with Jemma and Christie, but we got separated. I was running down a hall when I heard Filch approaching from behind. I thought I was going to get caught until a strong set of arms pulled me into a secret passageway, hidden behind a tapestry.

"Stay here until he's gone," Oliver said.

"I think I'd rather have the detention," I argued. "Let me go."

"If you go out there, I'm following and I've already spent 4 days in detention this year," Oliver warned. I was about to start shouting when Oliver kissed me to shut me up. At first I was going to protest, but he tasted vaguely of mint and was a really good kisser, so I kissed back.

When we finally broke apart, Filch was gone. "I'm sorry," Oliver said. "I shouldn't have, but I really didn't want to get caught."

"I kissed back," I replied. "And I'm sorry too, I guess." We went our separate ways and returned to our dormitories and I was more confused than I had been earlier that day.


	4. Chapter 4

"You did what?" Christie demanded when I finally arrived back at the dormitory. I had just told her how I managed to escape Filch and detention.

"I kissed him, but only because he was kissing me," I answered. "And he kissed me to shut me up and keep us both from landing in detention."

"Was there anyone else around?" Jemma asked.

"No, we were alone," I replied. "I think the twins had shown him where the passageway was, but we were alone. And then, he apologized; now, I'm totally confused. What does he want from me?"

"Love, you won't have to worry about trying to figure that out on your own anymore," Jemma promised. "Penny is dating Percy Weasley and she will set upon him to figure out what is going on with Oliver."

"Really?" I asked. Penelope Clearwater was a classmate, but we weren't really close friends. She wasn't a bad person; we just had different interests. So, when she came into the room and Jemma and Christie set upon her, I expected her to tell them to sod off. I nearly fell out of my bed when she agreed.

"Sure," she answered. "I've noticed Oliver being really weird lately too. I'll get Percy to see if he can find out what is going on with him."

It took nearly a week for Penelope to get anything from Percy and what she got wasn't much. "Apparently, Oliver's never really dated much," she reported. "I mean, he's dated, but they never last long before he cuts them loose. Percy said he's had a thing for some girl for years, but she doesn't notice him."

"Did he say who that bird was?" Jemma asked.

"Percy didn't know," Penelope answered. "They're boys, though. They don't talk about who their crushes are like girls do. And Percy's not likely to ask him, either."

**Oliver's POV**

"What have you heard, Perce?" I asked. I had been trying to figure out what to do with the Bryony situation for nearly 2 weeks. I had liked her forever, even though I'll never tell her that. She annoys me a lot, but there's just something about the way her hair shines in moonlight.

The night I kissed her was like heaven for me. She kissed me back, nearly making my head explode. I haven't known what to do with her for years and I can't ask her out. If we broke up, it would be even more awkward at family functions that we both have to attend. So, I did the only thing I could think of, and mostly as a last resort. I asked Percy Weasley for help since he had started dating a girl in Bryony's house and year.

"Penny and I don't talk about her house mates," Percy said pompously. I have no idea how that guy is a Weasley. He lacks the sense of humor of the rest of them.

"Come on, mate," Kevin Jones said. He's one of my best mates. "Wood never asks you for anything. So, what does your bird know about the lovely Miss Martin?"

"That she hates being called Miss Martin," Percy answered dryly. "And that she seems to be quite confused by Oliver's behavior." We tried to press him for more information, but he said he didn't know anything more. I decided that I would have to find an opportunity to spend some time alone with her again, without telling her. For advice on that, I went to Fred and George.

"Get her in detention with you," Fred suggested. "George and I spend loads of time in detention and we're sometimes left alone together, but not as often as during first year."

"Fred's right," George added. "You lot are not known as the school clowns. You ought to be left alone with her. I'd try something during one of your classes together. What do you have with her?"

"Transfiguration, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Defense, Potions and Charms," I answered.

"Flitwick won't give a joint detention," George said. "McGonagall will have you cleaning toilets, which you won't be able to do together. Professor Vectra doesn't hand out many detentions and if she does, she stays with you. Snape is your best bet. He'll leave you cauldrons to clean and he'll leave you alone to do it."

"I agree with George," Fred interjected. "Lockhart makes you sign autographs for him and stays with you while you do it."

"I have Potions first thing on Monday," I said.

"Drop this into your cauldron while she's not looking," George said, handing me a small pebble. "It's no ordinary pebble, mate. It's our own invention. Just don't tell anyone where you got it." I agreed and left.

The next Monday, I dropped the little pebble into our cauldron. I thought Bryony was going to hit me when she realized that our potion had been destroyed and a foul odor was taking over the entire room. We both got bottom marks and detention from Professor Snape.

**Bryony's POV**

I couldn't believe that Oliver would get me detention and a failing grade, but that arse did it and it made me hate him all the more. Professor Snape scheduled our detention for that night, which meant that I would miss a music rehearsal with Professor Flitwick. The only thing that made me at all satisfied was that Oliver would have to miss quidditch practice.

After dinner that evening, I trudged to the dungeons for my detention. Oliver was already there when I arrived. Professor Snape flapped in moments after we arrived and set us to cleaning out his cauldrons, without magic. He must have given us the first year cauldrons because some of them were more horrible than I could have imagined.

I sat down at a desk and started cleaning my first cauldron, hoping to be able to do it without speaking to Oliver. "What has you so mad at me?" he asked.

"You don't know?" I snarled. I was seething.

"I'm stuck here too," he said. "And I didn't intend to get us stuck here."

"Don't talk to me," I ordered. I didn't want to hear him speaking at all at that moment. He did as I asked, for at least 5 minutes.

"Will you ever want to talk to me?" he asked, sheepishly.

"What do you want?" I sighed.

"I want to apologize for getting you detention," he answered. "And I want to know why you hate me?"

"You asked me to hate you," I retorted. "You said it was easier for you if I hate you."

"Why did you start hating me in the first place?" he pressed. "I can't remember what I did and it was so long ago. If I don't know what I'm meant to have done, I'll never be able to apologize."

"It doesn't matter," I answered, trying to evade the question. In truth, it wasn't a single thing that he did, but more of a combination of things. He pressed me further to answer, so I finally had enough. I threw water at him and shouted, "It wasn't one thing. At some point, you just stopped being my Bear and you didn't seem to care. Maybe you didn't miss me, but I most certainly missed you, because I didn't have a lot of friends. And you had quidditch and popularity and I was forgotten, even when we were home. You stopped coming by to see me. It was easier for me to hate you than to admit that I missed you so much. Is that what you wanted?"

"B, I'm still your bear," he promised. "And don't think I didn't miss you. I really thought you hated me. That's why I had stopped coming over unless I was forced to. I thought you didn't want me there." I was crying and he was massaging my shoulders.

"I don't know what you want, Oliver," I said, finally. The cauldrons lay forgotten while Oliver continued to massage my shoulders. I waved my wand and performed cleaning charms, completing the task before Professor Snape returned. He released us and we left the dungeon.

"Can we walk for a bit?" he asked. I nodded. "Where does this leave us?"

"We can be friends again," I answered. "That's all I can do right now."

"Alright," he replied. "Then, as my friend, would you like to meet up for a butterbeer on the next Hogsmeade weekend?"

"I'd love to," I answered, "as a friend."

When I got back to my dormitory, I was barraged with questions from my roommates. "We have to know what happened," Christie said. "Did he try to kiss you? Did he apologize?"

"No, he didn't try to kiss me," I answered. "He apologized for a lot and explained a lot, but not everything. It's obvious he fancies me, but I told him that for now, we're just friends. I made no promises about the future, but I'm pretty sure I fancy him too."

"Did he ask you out?" Jemma asked, gleefully.

"He invited me for a butterbeer during the next Hogsmeade weekend, but only as a friend," I answered. "And I accepted, only as a friend."

"Good, then," Christie said, finally. "At least, maybe you'll both be less miserable."

The next few weeks were very good. Oliver and I got top marks in our next Potions assignment and managed to do our Astronomy homework together. We were very nearly back to being best friends. As the date of the next Hogsmeade visit approached, Oliver got more flirtatious with me. Jemma told me that there were several girls that were furious with me for reasons that I didn't understand. It wasn't like Oliver was likely to ask any of them to Hogsmeade.

"So, I'll meet you at 3:00 at the Three Broomsticks," he said on Friday evening at dinner.

"Yeah," I answered. "Just you and me. You can tell me all about quidditch."

"Now you're just trying to figure out how to beat us," he teased.

"You know me," I joked. "I can't get enough of the game." He laughed and kissed my temple as he started back towards the Gryffindor table. He paused for a moment and came back, rather unexpectedly.

"I was going to wait to ask, but no better time than the present," he began. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Christmas ball with me, as friends."

"As friends, I'd love to," I answered. When he left, I turned back to my friends and said, "I guess we have to go shopping for dresses tomorrow as well." They all smirked and exchanged knowing looks.

The next day, we went dress shopping first. It took a while, but I was able to get a dress for the ball. It was champagne chiffon and strapless with an empire waist. "Oliver may die of pride," Christie teased. We got shoes to match our dresses and then headed back into the streets. We walked towards the Three Broomsticks together and I met Oliver there.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked.

"I did," I answered. "I may have been able to procure a dress for the ball." Oliver bought us each a butterbeer, ordering me to put my money away when I offered to pay.

"My Mum would kick my arse if she found out I let you buy your own drink," he joked. We sat at an empty booth and drank in silence for a while.

"So, how's the quidditch team shaping up?" I asked. "And keep in mind, I don't really hang out with anyone on our team."

"We're coming along alright," he answered. "Our first match is against Slytherin next Saturday. Hopefully, Potter will wipe the smirk off Malfoy's face by catching the snitch out from under him."

"That would be fantastic to witness," I mused. He laughed and I added, "I don't really care about quidditch, but I hate the Slytherins. Anyone beating them is good."

"Then, we shall do our best," he promised. Once we finished out butterbeers, we walked back to the castle together. He even insisted on seeing me back to my dormitory.

"This has been fun," I said. "We should do it more often."

"Let's have lunch together tomorrow," he suggested. "We'll eat in the Great Hall, but we'll sit together. I'll even join you at the Ravenclaw table."

"Sure," I answered. He kissed my cheek and waved goodbye as he skipped (yes, skipped) back towards Gryffindor tower.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next weekend, I went to the first quidditch game of the season. Normally, I wouldn't have gone unless Ravenclaw was playing, but Oliver had asked. At one point, he took a nasty bludger hit and fell to the ground. My friends had to restrain me from rushing the field to be sure that he was o.k. I was only consoled when the game ended and I got to go see him. He was fine, but I had been nervous.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to hospital?" I asked as I walked him off the field.

"I'm fine, love," he answered. "But I appreciate the concern. We'll be having a party tonight if you want to come. It will be in the common room and, from what I understand, Fred and George have already made plans to sneak out to Hogsmeade for beverages."

"What time should I be there?" I asked.

"I'll bring you back after dinner if you'd like," he suggested; I agreed. I made my way to my dormitory, where Jemma and Christie were waiting.

"So, is he alive and well?" Christie teased.

"He's fine and he's taking me to the victory party tonight," I answered. "Now, I need your help to find something to wear to the party."

"Oh, that is so sweet," Jemma cooed. "Wear this." She handed me a tight black sweater and a pair of jeans. "This will show off all that is good and nothing that is bad." Christie agreed, so I accepted their advice.

"When are you going to this party?" Christie asked, as I readied myself for the shower.

"He's just meeting me at dinner and walking me to the tower after," I answered. "I'm almost nervous, though. We agreed that for now, we're just friends, but we seem to be dating exclusively."

"Don't worry about it," Jemma offered. "Just go and have fun. And if he snogs you, snog him back." That seemed reasonable, so I agreed and went to shower. When I finished, Jemma and Christie helped with hair and make-up and by the time we finished, it was time to go to dinner.

As I finished eating, Oliver snuck up behind me and whispered, "If I'd known you'd look like this, I'd have invited you to a victory party a long time ago."

"Thanks, I think," I joked.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded and bade good night to my friends, warning them not to wait up. Oliver took my hand and led me out of the Great Hall and toward the Gryffindor common room.

"When does the party start?" I asked.

"Probably in an hour or so," he answered. "We can either play a game or take a walk if you like."

"Can you show me your captain's office?" I asked. He nodded and led me to the quidditch pitch and his office. "So, this is where the magic happens?"

"Funny, love," he laughed. He leaned in to kiss me and I let him. His lips were strong and soft at the same time and, honestly, it rather amazed me. "So, I was wondering if you could give me dancing lessons," he asked when we finally broke apart.

"Tomorrow at 7," I said. "We'll meet at the Charms classroom. Professor Flitwick lets me use it often to rehearse."

"You still take dance and music lessons?" he asked.

"Not really, but I still do both," I answered. "I'd really like to go to music or dance school when I graduate, but Mum and Dad won't let me."

"Why not?" he asked.

"They want me to be Amy and go to healer training," I replied. "It's not that I have a problem with healers or anything, it's just not what I want to do. And it really came about after they realized that I had no interest in professional Quidditch."

"They'll get over it," he promised. "The party has probably started if you want to head up to Gryffindor tower." I nodded and we chatted as we walked to Gryffindor tower for the party. When we arrived, the party was in full swing. One of the twins, (George, I think) handed us each a drink and led us back to the festivities.

"This is cozy," I said, marveling at the Gryffindor common room. The furnishings were very comfortable and the room just felt warm.

"It's not much, but it's home," Oliver said.

"It's perfect," I replied. He introduced me to his Gryffindor friends and then, sat us on the sofa, in front of the fire. We chatted and drank, and then snogged for a while. When we stopped snogging, we noticed that there was practically no one left in the common room.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Midnight," Oliver answered.

"I've missed curfew," I mused.

"So stay here," he offered. "We can sleep right here or in my bed. It will be just like when we were small and took naps in my bed together."

"Except that now, we're not so small and your bed here is smaller than your bed at your house," I answered, cheekily. "Not to mention that you have several roommates, including Percy Weasley. I'm fairly certain that he'd go spare if he thought there was a girl in your bed."

"The others wouldn't mind, but you're probably right about Percy," he answered. "I can't even imagine what he and Penelope do when they're alone."

"They study, mostly," I replied. "She's nerdy, even for a Ravenclaw." Oliver laughed heartily.

"So, where does that leave us?" he asked. "Where are you planning to sleep?"

"Let's just stay here," I suggested. "Of course, I need to use the loo and I really want to change." Oliver had me wait in the common room for a moment. He checked to see that the bathrooms were empty and let me use their bathroom. He also let me borrow a sweatshirt and some shorts to sleep in.

"Cheers," I said, once I had changed and brushed my teeth. I went back to the common room and resumed my spot on the sofa by the fire. Oliver soon joined me, carrying the quilt from his bed and his pillow.

He laid back on the sofa and I crawled on the sofa with him. There really was very little space, so I made him get up and I enlarged the sofa to make it big enough for both of us. "That was brilliant," he said, pulling me onto the sofa with him. He kissed me goodnight for a long time and then, we fell asleep, cuddling together.

We woke the next morning to the sound of students rushing down the stairs. "Mmm, good morning, gorgeous," Oliver purred.

"Good morning," I answered. "I should get back to Ravenclaw tower before they send out a search party."

"No, we should stay right here for the rest of the day," he offered.

"I can't," I replied. "I've got homework to do and unless you've finished your Potions essay, so do you."

"Bugger," he joked. "Well, I guess we've got to get up." He jumped up, dropping me on the floor and laughing. I feigned annoyance until he picked me up and carried me to his dormitory. He made sure that the lads were out of the toilets so that I could change back into my clothes before we left for breakfast.

"Before we go in there and I get set upon by my friends, does this mean we're dating?" I asked.

"If you want it to, love," he laughed.

"Alright then," I said. "We're dating." He ate breakfast at the Ravenclaw table with me, joking with my friends, and claiming that he had kidnapped me last night and refused to let me leave.

When breakfast ended, I went back to Ravenclaw tower to do homework and shower. My friends had other ideas. "So, what is going on with you lot?" Jemma asked.

"We've officially decided to date," I answered. "We went to the party and by the time we realized how late it was, it was past curfew. I didn't fancy getting caught out of bounds, so Oliver let me sleep in his common room."

"And he stayed with you I take it," Christie added.

"Yeah," I answered. "He was really sweet. He gave me a sweatshirt and some shorts to sleep in and let me borrow his toothbrush."

"He let you borrow his toothbrush? Gross!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Really, Jemma, he had his tongue in my mouth for a fair portion of the evening," I reasoned. "Letting me borrow his toothbrush wasn't really that gross."

"I hadn't really thought about that," Jemma mused. "So, is he a good kisser?"

"The boy has skills," I joked. "Now, I'm going to have a shower and then do some homework before lunch." They let me be for a few hours while I worked on some assignments for Herbology and Charms.

While we were eating lunch, Oliver came over. "Would you care to join me to work on our Potions essay today?" he asked.

"You just need help with it, don't you?" I teased. He blushed, but nodded. "Alright. I have to go and get my book, but I'll meet you in the library in 20 minutes."

"You're the best, love," he said; then, he kissed my forehead and headed back to his common room to collect his books. Jemma and Christie pretended to be sick and I chucked a roll at each of them. Then, I went to collect my things and meet Oliver in the library.

When I reached the library, Oliver was waiting with his books set out on a table that we could share. "I just don't seem to get the hang of amortentia," he whined. "I mean, I know what it's supposed to look like, but I can't seem to get it."

"It's in the King's Foil," I replied. "You have to get that exactly right. Once the King's Foil is in the potion, the rest of it just sort of comes together."

"What do you smell?" he asked. "It smells different to everyone."

"I'm only telling if you tell," I answered. He agreed, so I continued, "Lilacs and vanilla and I'm not sure what. It's kind of salty, and vaguely familiar, but I can't place it. It's your turn now."

"I smell quaffles, and pumpkin bread, and a flowery smell that I can't place," he answered. "It's almost like roses, but not quite as strong."

"It's rose water," I offered, smirking. "It's in my shampoo." Oliver blushed and we went back to our homework. An hour later, we had finished the Potions essay and our Astronomy work.

"I'm done," he said, stretching. "It's a nice day; we should go for a fly."

"I don't fly," I answered. "But, you should go. I'll just go back to Ravenclaw tower and get the music ready for your dance lesson or to the rehearsal room to play."

"What instrument are you playing?" he asked.

"There's a piano in there," I replied.

"Then I'll let you to it," he said. "I'll meet you at 7:00 in the Charms classroom."

I nodded and went back to Ravenclaw tower. When I arrived in my dormitory to put my books away, Jemma and Christie again set upon me. We spent an hour analyzing every detail of the time I had spent with Oliver over the last 2 days. When we finished, I grabbed some music for the dance lesson and went to the rehearsal room to play until dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I had just finished playing the Moonlight Sonata when I heard clapping. I looked up and saw Oliver leaning against the door frame. "How long have you been there?" I asked.

"About 2 songs," he answered. "You're really good. You should do that for a living."

"I'm going to healer training," I said, sadly.

"You don't have to," he replied. "You can study music or dance or anything else you want to."

"My parents will never let me," I reasoned. "And before you start arguing with me, I'm rather hungry and dinner has started."

"No need to ask twice, princess," he said. "Let's go eat." He led me to the Great Hall and sat me at the Gryffindor table for dinner. I got to get to know some of his friends better.

After dinner, we went to the Charms classroom for our first dance lesson. Oliver was, in a word, terrible. We rehearsed for half an hour before I had to stop from him stepping on my foot so many times. "I guess I'm better at this when I've had a few drinks," he joked.

"Either that or I don't mind it as much when I've had a few drinks," I teased. "Do you mind calling it a night?"

"Of course not," he said. He picked me up and carried me, against my protests, to Ravenclaw tower. When we arrived, he set me down and asked to have another lesson.

"Sure," I promised. "You'll just have to give me a few days to recover." He kissed me and headed back to Gryffindor tower.

Over the next several weeks, we had several lessons, some of which ended in heated snogging sessions. At the end of our last rehearsal before the Christmas ball, we had a very heated snogging session. It started out innocent enough, but soon, Oliver had backed me up against the teacher's desk. I hopped onto the desk and Oliver stood in front of me, continuing to kiss me. His hand went up under my shirt and I gasped as I felt his warm palm brush against my stomach.

"Sorry," he said. "We should get back to our commons before we're caught out of bounds." I nodded and we left the classroom.

The next day, being a Saturday, meant we had no classes. Since it was the day of the ball, I used the day to sleep in and get ready for the ball. I went to lunch and, after telling Oliver that he'd just have to be patient and wait for 6:00, I went back to Ravenclaw tower to start getting ready. By 6:00, I was just putting the finishing touches on my hair and make-up. A fourth year came in and said that Oliver was waiting in the common room for me.

"Thank you," I said. I walked down the stairs and Oliver stood.

"You look amazing," he whispered. I smiled. The dress fit very nicely. I had put my hair in a loose bun with a few strands curled on the side. I grabbed my wrap and let him lead me out of the common room to the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was decorated to the nines for the occasion. It looked like a winter wonderland, with icicles hanging from the trees and fairy lights all around the hall. We sat at a table with mostly other Gryffindors, but one of Oliver's roommates brought a Hufflepuff girl, Elizabeth Johnson, with him. She kept making eyes at Oliver all through dinner and he either didn't notice or he was enjoying the attention. I tried to think that he didn't notice.

Dancing started just after the dinner plates were cleared. Oliver invited me to the dance floor and we spent nearly an hour on the floor. Finally, we took a break and I went to the toilet. When I came back, I thought I would die from what I saw. Oliver was sitting at our table and the Hufflepuff girl was sitting in his lap, kissing him.

"You bastard," I cried, grabbing my wrap and storming out of the Great Hall. Jemma and Christie were nearby and saw the exchange, following me out of the ball. Oliver followed too.

"B, come back," he called.

Christie had grabbed me and shouted at Oliver. "No," she yelled. "Don't you dare come near her. I told her to trust you and this is what you do? Just leave her alone."

They escorted me to Ravenclaw tower. The next morning, I heard that Jemma's date, Brendan Michaels who was in our year and a Ravenclaw, had smacked into Oliver when he followed us out. Christie also went with her boyfriend, Michael Preston. They were our beaters on our Quidditch team.

"Don't worry, Bryony," Michael said, "we'll kick his ass on the quidditch pitch for you." I tried to reply, but could only cry.

My mood didn't improve by the time the train left the next day. Oliver tried to speak to me on the train, but I brushed past him and refused to see him. When I arrived at home, I went straight to my room, trying to avoid my mother's questions. She tried to follow, but I begged her to leave me alone. "I had a terrible time at the Christmas ball," I explained. She didn't ask any more questions.

The next morning, she woke me and told me that Oliver was down stairs and asking to see me. "I don't really care," I answered and crawled back under my covers.

"We're having the Woods for dinner tonight," she said, closing the door. "We'll expect you to be there." I mumbled a brief response and tried to go back to sleep. The unfortunate thing was that I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Oliver and that girl snogging.

I got out of bed at 4:00 that afternoon to get ready for dinner. Since I had been home, I had only had a few crackers and I was starving, so I went in search of food. After eating something, I went back to my room to shower and get dressed.

"What's wrong, Bryony?" my dad asked when I finally came down stairs for dinner.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Dad," I answered.

"Maybe I can help," he offered.

"I went to the Christmas ball with a date and he ended up snogging someone else in front of me," I replied. "I don't think there's anything you can do to help."

"I'm sorry, princess," Dad said. Then, the Woods arrived, with Oliver, and my Dad ditched me to see to his friends.

Oliver started coming towards me, but I moved away. He kept following me and finally cornered me. "B, I just want to talk to you," he begged.

I didn't say anything; I slapped him across the face and ran to my room, locking the door behind me. I refused to come back out for the rest of the night.

The next morning, my mother forced herself into my room. "Tell me what's going on," she ordered. So, I explained that I had gone to the ball with Oliver and went to the loo and when I came back, he was snogging another girl. "Oh, dear," she said. "He's down stairs again. He says he's going to come around every day until you talk to him."

"I don't ever want to see him again," I said. "Tell him that if he cares for me at all, he'll just leave me alone."

"You'll have to see him eventually," Mom suggested.

"I don't have to see him," I answered. "Don't give me the school and parties bollocks. I can avoid him at parties or I just won't come. And at school, we're in separate houses."

"We're going to his parents' house for tea tonight," she warned.

"I'm not going," I said. "I'm never speaking to him again and I'm not going to be stuck sitting at a dinner table with him."

"You have to go, Bryony," Mum said, forcefully. "And you'll have to spend more time with Oliver at some point, probably very soon."

"Mum, what the bloody hell are you talking about?" I demanded. I couldn't believe that she was being so obtuse. "Why would I have to spend more time with Oliver?"

"Well, now don't get mad, dear," she stammered, "but your father and I made a contract for you when you were a baby. We did the same thing for your sister."

"What kind of contract?" I growled.

"The kind that would require you to….Oliver Wood," she mumbled.

"I didn't quite hear that," I snapped, furiously.

"The kind of contract that would require you to marry Oliver Wood," she said. At that moment, I actually saw red. I had never been more furious with anyone in my life and I actually wanted to hex my own mother into oblivion.

"Find a way to rescind the contract," I ordered.

"We can't," she said. "Amy was so happy when we told her."

"Amy is the perfect child," I argued. "Find a way to rescind the contract."

"We can't rescind the contract, Bryony," she said. "Either you marry Oliver or you never get married."

"Get out of my room," I ordered. She started to protest, but I drew my wand and aimed at her. "Either get out of my room, or get hexed into next year." Sensing that I was not kidding in any way, she backed out of my room quickly. When I was alone, I started breaking everything that my mother had ever given me until I crumbled into a heap on the floor to sob.

**Oliver's POV**

I had been unable to speak to Bryony for 4 days. She refused to see me and I really just wanted to tell her that I didn't kiss Elizabeth. She had kissed me and when she finally let go, I spat at her and told her to get a grip. She had been flirting with me for nearly 2 years and we went out briefly, but I ended it quickly. Bryony was hurt and humiliated and she wouldn't let me explain my side of things.

I was going to just let it go and leave her to hate me forever until my dad cornered me. "Son, what is going on with you and Bryony?" he asked.

"She hates me," I answered, but he forced me to elaborate. "I took her to the Christmas ball and she saw another girl kissing me and took it the wrong way. She really hates me."

"That is a bother," my Dad replied. "Did you kiss that girl?"

"Of course not," I said. "I was trying to push her off me when Bryony walked up to us and she hasn't spoken to me since."

"She'll have to speak to you eventually," he suggested.

"Why? We don't have that many classes together," I replied. "And if we do, she'll just avoid me. It's not like we're in the same house or anything."

"No, but you lot are betrothed," he said. I gave him a look and he added, "When you were both babies, her parents and your mother and I signed a contract. You have to marry her or neither of you can ever marry."

"She'd rather die than marry me, Dad," I said, sadly. I had grown to love her a lot, but I was sure that she would rather die than marry me.

"Go and see her now," Dad suggested. "She's apparently set on destroying all of her belongings. Fly to her room and demand that she let you in. If she won't see you now, just keep trying."

"I'll try, but I make no promises," I answered. "And if she does kill me, make the funeral nice at least." Dad laughed, but handed me my broom and I took off from my balcony.

**Bryony's POV**

I was still working on breaking everything I owned when Oliver landed on the balcony outside my room and knocked on the door. "B, let me in," he begged. "My dad just told me and I won't force you to do anything you're not willing to do."

I opened the door and said, "Then, neither of us will ever get married."

"I can live with that," he replied. "I can't live with you so angry at me without at least giving me the opportunity to explain what you saw."

"Explain then, though I don't guarantee forgiveness," I answered, gruffly.

He nodded and said, "I know that what you saw hurt and humiliated you in ways that I can only imagine, but it wasn't me that kissed her. She kissed me and I had been trying to push her off me since she did it when you walked back."

"That's your story?" I demanded, though part of me believed him. "That's the best you can do?"

"That's the truth," he said, sadly. "Believe it or don't, but it is what it is."

"I'll think about it," I offered. "It's the best I can do right now."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'll see you later." He started to go, but I called him back. "What?" he asked.

"Could you take me out of here for a while?" I asked. "I really hate our parents right now and I want to get away for a little while."

"Come on," he offered. He sat on his broom and I sat behind him, holding on for dear life, as we took off from my balcony.

We landed after flying for a few miles. "Do you know where we are?" he asked. I looked around and had no idea where we were.

"No," I answered truthfully, though the place seemed vaguely familiar. It was near the sea and I loved the smell of the air. It was the scent from amortentia.

"We used to play here," he offered. "Right over there is where you learned to fly." I looked around and realization dawned on me.

"And that tree is where you scraped your knee trying to get me an apple," I added. He nodded. "We carved our initials into that tree." I ran over and our initials were still there.

We sat under our tree for an hour before I started to get too cold to stay out. "We should get back," he suggested. "I don't want you to get sick."

"Why have you kept trying with me?" I asked.

"Because my life is better when you're in it," he replied. "And because I have loved you since we were children and that's not likely to change anytime soon."

"I'm still angry and I don't know what happens next," I said, wiping a stray tear from my cheek.

"I told you earlier that I won't force you to do anything," he replied. "What happens next is entirely your decision."

"I'll think about it," I promised. "It's all I can do right now."

"Where have I heard that before?" he teased. "Come on. Let's get you home." We climbed back onto his broom and he dropped me off at my balcony. I let my mother in to repair the damages that I had done, but I still refused to speak to her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

That night, my parents went to the Woods' house for dinner. I was expected to go, but I still refused. I was terribly confused about what to do with Oliver. Part of me wanted to slap him silly and tell him to just be honest about Elizabeth, but another part of me knew that he had been telling the truth and wanted to snog his brains out. Since I couldn't decide what to do, I did nothing.

After they left, I ventured out of my room to find something to eat. At least I had my appetite back. I was pigging out on ice cream when there was a knock at the door. I went to get it and found Oliver on the door step. "Aren't you supposed to be at dinner with our parents?" I asked.

"I sort of skipped out," he answered. "I told my parents I wasn't feeling well and went to my room."

"Come in," I ordered. "We can feast in my room." I led him up to my room and locked the door behind us. "Will you tell me the truth?" I asked.

"Yes," he stated plainly.

"Are you angry at our parents for this whole betrothal thing?" I wanted to know because I was furious that I couldn't make my own decision, but not furious that it was Oliver.

"I'm annoyed more than anything," he replied. "I would have liked the opportunity to decide for myself who I would marry. If I'm forced to marry anyone, I'm sort of glad it's you. What about you?"

"I'm furious that the option was taken away," I answered. "But, if I'm being honest, I'd rather be betrothed to you than anyone else I can think of."

"So, do you forgive me?" he asked, giving me his best pouty face.

"Almost," I said. "You'll have to earn forgiveness." I had moved so that I was practically sitting in his lap.

"And what will I have to do to earn forgiveness?" he asked, inching closer to me.

"Kiss me," I ordered.

"No need to ask twice," he said, closing the gap between us. When our lips met, I had butterflies in my stomach. He put his hands on my waist and drew me closer to him. We had been sitting on my bed and he pulled me onto the bed with him, lying on top of him. His hands were playing with the hem of my shirt and I pushed back to let him take it off.

He took off my shirt and tossed it aside. Then, he took of his own and added it to the pile. He rolled us over so that he was on top of me, his lips not leaving mine again. His hands brushed against my side, moving up to my breast. He cupped my breast in his hand, kneading it through the fabric of my bra.

He was about to move towards my pants when we heard my parents coming home. "You brought your broom up here, right?" I asked. I didn't want our parents to know that we had made up.

"It's in your closet," he answered.

"Good," I whispered. "I don't want our parents to know that we've made up." He agreed, tossed on his sweatshirt and climbed onto my balcony just before my Mum knocked on the door. I pretended to ignore her, feigning sleep, but then, she unlocked the door with her wand.

"How was your night?" she asked, half-whispering into my darkened room. I was curled up under my blankets so that she couldn't see my face.

"It was fine," I answered. "I'll take care of my dishes in the morning." She left my room and I waited until I heard their door shut before letting Oliver back in.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I just want to have some fun with them. Will you stay tonight?"

"Sure," he answered. He took his shoes off and took off his sweatshirt. Then, he climbed into bed with me. "Bollocks," he muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"You put your shirt back on," he teased. "I rather liked you without it."

"I've only just forgiven you," I warned. "Keep it up and you'll be heading back to your house." He smirked, but curled up around me. Very quickly, we fell asleep. We didn't wake until my dad was pounding on my door in the morning.

"Bryony, you need to wake up," he shouted.

"Bugger," I whispered. I shook Oliver to wake him up. "Bear, you need to wake up. My dad is about to come through the door."

"Shit," Oliver muttered. He leapt out of bed, pulled on his sweatshirt and shoes and hid on my balcony, after grabbing his broom.

"What is it, Daddy?" I asked, sweetly, opening the door.

"Where is Oliver?" he demanded.

"I don't know," I lied. "I don't really care." I had assumed that Oliver's parents had found out that he wasn't at home. "Mum checked on me last night and I was alone. I'm still alone."

"Then, you won't mind if I come in and see," he said. It was really an order, so I stood aside and let my dad into my room, praying that Oliver had heard him and taken off. Thankfully, Oliver had gotten the hint as to what was going on and was no longer on my balcony. "I still don't believe that you don't know where he is, but he's obviously not here."

"And what would you do if he was in here?" I asked.

"You're not to have overnight guests that your mother and I don't approve of," he warned.

"But you lot made the decision that I have to marry that wanker," I argued. "Now, you wouldn't approve of him?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Bryony," Dad stated. "I'm saying that we wouldn't approve of him staying overnight before you lot are married." I rolled my eyes and shooed my dad out of my room. When he was finally gone, I went onto the balcony to see if Oliver had left.

"You're still hanging around?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered. "But I really should go. Don't tell your parents I was here last night. I'm not telling my parents where I was. Thursday's Christmas Eve. I'll see you here for the party." He kissed me and took off again, returning home.

At the Christmas Eve party, Oliver and I pretended to avoid each other. We snuck off to a coat cupboard for a quick snog, but returned to the party separately. After our parents went to bed that night, Oliver snuck into my room. "I almost couldn't keep up the act," he said, kissing me deeply.

"I know what you mean," I answered. "I almost lost it when my mother suggested that we'll learn to love each other." He stayed for an hour before declaring that he had to get home. "Mum and Dad won't approve of me being out all night again. I'll see you on Saturday for Boxing Day." I nodded and kissed him once more before he took off again.

For the rest of our holidays, we spent every night together. During those nights, we mostly talked about anything. There was no subject that was off limits and soon enough, I had completely forgiven him for the Christmas ball.

"Will you be telling your friends about the betrothal?" I asked.

"I hadn't really thought about it," he answered. "Honestly, I won't lie, but I'm not offering either. Why do you ask?"

"Because girls are different than boys and my friends will be asking why we are suddenly back together after I was so angry with you," I replied. "I'm not going to lie either, but if you don't want me to answer them, I'll respect that."

"Go ahead and answer the question, love," Oliver offered. "I won't be offended. I love you and I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed me chastely and returned to his parents.

Anytime we were alone together, Oliver and I were very happy. When we were in mixed company or we were apart, I acted as though I still hated him. My sister came by during the break and found a way to blame me for everything that had happened with Oliver, and then she reminded me that my bad behavior was ruining her life. I threw her out of my room. When Oliver came over that night, I nearly shagged him, but Oliver exercised restraint and suggested that we not do it when I was angry at Amy. "I want to, love," he said. "I really do, but this isn't the way to do it."

"Will you do it with me before we're married?" I asked.

"If the right time comes along," he answered. "But, I'm not just going to jump into bed with you to get back at your parents or your sister or anyone else."

"Why is Amy such a pain in my ass?" I asked. "It's not like I've done anything to her."

"We did get rather drunk at her wedding and sort of make a spectacle of ourselves," he teased. "And we're pretending to hate each other so much right now that it's amazing we haven't had an actual fight in front of everyone."

"Shut up," I joked. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "Have you ever slept with anyone else before?" We hadn't really discussed that yet.

He got nervous and blushed, but finally answered. "One girl, last year, and I didn't really enjoy it," he said, truthfully. "Have you?"

"No," I replied. "Tim tried on the second date, but I shoved him off and wouldn't let him."

"Are you upset that I have?" he asked, suddenly nervous.

I thought about it for a moment. Truthfully, I had been hoping for another answer, but it would have been unfair of me to hold him responsible for doing something with someone else when we weren't together. So, I answered, "Not really. I'm more shocked than anything, but I'm not really mad at you." I looked at the clock and it was nearly 2:00 a.m. "You should go home. Your parents will be so mad if you're here this late."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he promised. Then, he kissed me and took off into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We met on the train after our parents had left, trying to maintain the façade that I still hated him. "Did your parents buy that I still hate you?" I asked.

"Yeah, but they're still wondering where I've been going every night," he answered. "I lied and told them that I was just out. I don't think they bought that, but they didn't press the issue. They trust me."

We grabbed an empty compartment and stowed our bags. He was just about to kiss me when the door opened and Elizabeth Johnson, the Hufflepuff girl that had kissed him at the ball, strode in. "Ollie, when are you going to get over this toe rag and go for a real woman?" she asked, heaving her breasts at him; I rolled my eyes.

"If the 'real woman' you're referring to is you, then never," he answered. "Now, show some self respect and get the hell out of here." She huffed and left, but only after threatening me.

"You better bring it," I warned. Once we were alone again, Oliver locked the door and kissed me. We only broke apart when someone started knocking on the door.

Oliver opened the door to find his friends Kevin and Jack in the hallway. "Mate, we were wondering where you were," said Kevin.

"I've been here since I boarded the train," Oliver cheeked. "You lot remember Bryony."

"How are you?" asked Jack.

"I'm well," I answered. "I'm going to find my friends. I'll be back in a while." As soon as I left, I heard Kevin say, "Well done, mate."

I found Jemma and Christie in a compartment down the hall. "We saw that Hufflepuff tart, Johnson," Jemma said. "She said she was threatened. What happened? And more importantly, where were you?"

"I've got rather a lot to tell you lot," I said. And I told them everything, from finding out about the marriage contract to the moment on the train when I threatened Johnson.

"Bloody hell!" Christie exclaimed. "How pissed are you at your parents?"

"I'm angrier than I've ever been at them," I answered. "I mean, it's sort of working itself out right now, but I would have liked to have the opportunity to decide who I wanted to marry. So, we're pretending like I still hate him and sneaking around a lot."

"Why sneak around?" Jemma asked. "Your parents would let you see him, I'm sure."

"I'm sure they would," I replied. "This is about getting back at them for making the decision for us and for lying to us about it for so long. But, I've been away too long. I'm going to find Oliver."

"So, when do you have to announce your engagement?" Christie asked.

"I think we have to be married by the time I'm 23, but Mum insinuated that we would announce the engagement at my birthday party this summer," I answered. Then, I went to find Oliver, who was talking quidditch with his mates. I used the opportunity to lean on him and take a nap. He woke me up when the train was pulling into the station.

When we arrived back at Hogwarts, Oliver and I shared a carriage to the castle. "We'll be having a party on Friday," he said. "At Gryffindor tower. I'd really like for you to come."

"I'd love to," I answered. "It's going to be weird tonight, sleeping without you. I've gotten so used to it over the last week and a half that I'm going to be rather cold."

"I won't have your cold feet on me all night," he teased. I gave him a pouty face and he added, "It's alright, princess. I love your cold feet."

"Could I stay at your dorm on Friday?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied. "You can stay at my dorm any time you want."

"What about your roommates?" I asked.

"They won't care and Percy won't know," he suggested. "I'll clear it with Kevin, Jack, and Alastair, but I'm not telling Percy or his head will explode."

"I wouldn't want to see that," I joked. "It would probably be messy."

We had pulled up outside the castle and Oliver helped me out of the carriage. He held my hand as we walked into the Great Hall for dinner. "Eat with me?" he asked. I nodded and let him lead me to the Gryffindor table. We sat with his roommates, save Percy, and they all agreed that I could stay over on Friday night.

"We'll be sure to wear pajamas," Alastair offered.

"I rather appreciate that," I joked. When dinner ended, Oliver walked me back to Ravenclaw tower and kissed me goodnight.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow," he promised. I nodded and kissed him once more before going to bed.

The rest of the week went by very slowly. Professor Snape gave us a small mountain of homework, as did Professor McGonagall. Professor Flitwick added to the pile, just not as heavily as the rest. To top it off, Elizabeth Johnson was still following us around, though Oliver's friends had made a pact not to date her.

By Friday, I was ready for a party. After classes ended, I packed a small bag with some pajamas and my toothbrush for the party that night. Oliver met me at dinner and brought me back to Gryffindor tower. We snuck my bag to his room and hid it under his bed. Percy didn't notice.

The party was a lot of fun. Drinks were flowing and by midnight, Oliver and I ditched the party for his dormitory. He stood watch by the door while I changed in the bathroom and then snuck me into his four poster bed, onto which he had cast an undetectable enlarging charm.

When we were sure we were alone, Oliver kissed me, running one hand down my side while the other hand cupped my face. He paused and brushed a stray hair off my face. "I sort of love you," he said. I started laughing and he pulled back.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I sort of love you too." Then, he laughed, too.

"You're right," he laughed. "That's really cheesy." He rolled over and lay next to me.

"Now, don't give up," I teased. "It wasn't that bad."

"It really was that bad," he replied, still giggling. "I'll be right back." He got out of bed and went to the toilet to change into his pajamas. I had crawled under the covers by the time he returned. Just before the curtains opened, I heard him say, "Good night, Percy." When he joined me in bed, he motioned to stay quiet as we were no longer alone.

The next morning, Oliver got up first to see that we were alone. Then, he snuck down the stairs to make sure that Percy was not there. He had, apparently, gotten up early and gone to breakfast. So, Oliver came back to wake me and let me get dressed.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, when we went to breakfast.

"I slept better than I have all week," I answered, quietly. "And I still sort of love you."

"Funny," he teased. "Not hilarious, but funny."

"I mean it, though, Bear," I said, seriously. "I really do love you."

"I love you, too, Honey B," he joked.

"Don't call me Honey B," I warned. He continued to tease me, so I jumped on his back and made him carry me the rest of the way to the Great Hall.

The rest of the month was much the same. Ravenclaw held a welcome back party the weekend after the Gryffindor party and Oliver came and stayed over. We slept in the common room, in front of the fire. "We should do this every weekend," he mused.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Spend at least one night together," he suggested. "We should spend at least one night each weekend together. We can alternate where we do it, or if you want, we can just sleep in my bed."

"That does sound rather appealing," I answered. "We should do it. Next weekend on Saturday, we'll sleep in your dorm again."

"Good," he said. "I have a meeting with the quidditch team and afterward, we can go to Gryffindor tower."

And so, we started sleeping together for at least one night each week until Professor McGonagall put an end to it. She somehow (Percy Weasley) found out that we had been sharing sleeping quarters and put us in separate detentions. She even threatened to ban us from the next Hogsmeade visit, but Professor Dumbledore stepped in.

"Professor McGonagall," he said, "The detentions will be sufficient punishment." We had detentions for a week, but at least we were allowed to go to Hogsmeade for the Valentine's Day visit.

"So," Oliver said as he took my hand and led me to the village. "Where are we going?"

"We'll go window shopping and then for a butterbeer," I suggested. "Just keep us away from Madam Puddifoot's tea room. It's ghastly on a regular day, but simply horrifying on Valentine's day."

"Thank Merlin you think so, too," Oliver joked. "I went there last year and nearly vomited in my tea." We laughed as we wandered around the town. When we got cold, we went to the Three Broomsticks and had butterbeers before returning to campus.

On the way back to the castle, I grabbed a bunch of snow and threw it at Oliver's back, hitting him in the head. He smirked and retaliated. I took off running and he gave chase. When he caught up to me, he tackled me to the ground and we rolled around in the snow, laughing like we were small children again. "That brings back memories," he said when we finally stopped.

"You remember, then?" I asked.

"How could I forget?" he joked. "You stuffed so much snow down my shirt that Mum nearly had kittens. She was so angry with us and we laughed all day. Then, I had to take a bath and I remember being very annoyed about that."

"And when you were done, your mum read to us and we took a nap in your bed," I finished.

"Come with me," he said, standing and offering his hand. He pulled me up and led me into the castle to Ravenclaw tower. "Do you have a bathing suit?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Go and put it on and come back here," he said. I did as told and met him back there. He grabbed my hand again and led me to the Prefect's bathroom.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"Going for a swim in a rather large tub," he answered. "Professor McGonagall forbade us from sleeping in the same room together, but she didn't specifically forbid us from spending some time together here. As Quidditch captain, I have access."

We swam around the tub a few times before we settled on the stairs. "Since I had to take a bath the last time we had a snow fight, I thought we'd continue the tradition," he said once we were sitting.

"Does this mean we're going to take a nap in your bed, then?" I asked.

"Maybe not a nap, but if you're interested, we could go to my bed," he offered, seriously.

"You mean?" I asked.

He swallowed hard and said, "Yeah, but only if you want to."

"I want to," I said, softly. Then, I kissed him, and he kissed me back. We climbed out of the bath and toweled off before putting our clothes back on and heading back to Gryffindor tower. Oliver snuck up to his dorm to ensure that no one else was there. As predicted, the dormitory was empty; everyone was still enjoying the day in Hogsmeade.

"Come on up," he offered, extending a hand. I followed him up to his room, suddenly very nervous; he noticed my apprehension. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to, love."

"I know," I answered. "I'm just slightly nervous. Will it hurt?"

"If it does, just tell me and I'll stop," he replied. We went into his dormitory and sat on his bed. I stared at the floor for several minutes before he repeated, "We really don't have to do this."

"I want to," I argued.

"Not today," he answered. "Let's just take a nap." So, we lay on his bed, curled up together, and took a nap. When I woke, we were still alone. I rolled over and kissed Oliver's chin, waking him.

"We came here for a reason," I said.

"And we can wait," he offered.

"No, I want to," I replied. I continued kissing him and grabbed his hand. I let him squeeze my bum and then rolled us so that he was on top of me. He responded with fervor, kissing me frantically. His lips left mine for only a moment so that we could remove our shirts.

He kissed my neck and snaked his hands behind my back to untie my bikini top. When he removed it, he kissed my breasts. "You're beautiful," he whispered as his hands worked on unbuttoning my jeans. I had trouble removing his belt, but was eventually able to get it off and unbutton his trousers.

He steadied my trembling hands before he slid my jeans off and added them to the growing pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. "It's not too late to stop," he offered.

"I don't want to stop," I replied. He nodded and resumed kissing me. He cupped my breast in his hand, squeezing gently. Then, he used his other hand to tug my bikini bottoms off as I shoved his boxers over his hips. He paused for a moment to cast a contraceptive charm before continuing.

In the end, I had been terribly nervous for no real reason. Oliver was gentle and sweet, making sure that he didn't hurt me. When we finished, he lay next to me, snuggling me to him for several long moments before we decided it was time to get up and go to dinner. We dressed quickly and came out of his bed to find Alastair, Kevin, and Jack standing around.

"Well done, mate," they teased. I blushed furiously before Alastair added, "Don't worry, love. We won't tell anyone."

"Cheers, lads," I answered as I headed down the staircase.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I ate dinner with Oliver at the Ravenclaw table and my friends tried to interrogate us as to what we had done all day. "Oh, we just sort of hung out," I answered, trying to deflect the question. I gave Christie a look, and she understood, but Jemma was clueless.

"What kinds of things did you do while hanging out?" she pestered.

"Jem, I think Bryony and Oliver would rather not answer the question here," Christie said, elbowing Jemma in the ribs. She finally caught on and dropped the subject.

After dinner, I returned to Ravenclaw tower with my friends. "Don't you want to come back with me?" Oliver asked, kissing my neck.

"I really do, but I really shouldn't," I replied. "We don't want any more detentions." He agreed and walked off towards Gryffindor tower. When I rejoined my friends, they dragged me to our dormitory.

"So," Christie started, "What were you really up to today?"

"What do you think I was up to?" I answered, coyly.

"I think you and Oliver were up to doing…things," she stammered. Jemma was gaping, open-mouthed.

"We were doing…things," I teased.

"So, how was it?" Jemma asked, smirking. "Did it hurt?"

"It hurt for a second," I answered, truthfully. "And it was weird, a little. I mean, we came back from Hogsmeade early and had a snow fight. Then, we went swimming in the Prefects' bathroom. When we were done, we went to Oliver's dorm and I was really nervous, so he said that we shouldn't do it. We took a nap, instead," I continued. "When I woke up, I initiated it and we just did it."

"Are you happy?" Christie asked.

I was torn, truthfully. I didn't know what to make of it because Oliver hadn't really said anything afterward until we were on our way to dinner and then, he acted like nothing had happened. "I'm not sure," I said, finally. "He was really sweet before we did anything, but afterward, he barely said anything. And what if he suddenly expects it all the time, now? I think maybe we went too fast."

"You should talk to him," Penelope said. None of us had realized that she was there, but I looked up at her. "From what Percy said, he's been acting strange since dinner. You should talk to him and find out what's bothering him. Of course, you should do it tomorrow since it's past curfew."

"Thanks Penelope," I said. I hadn't thought that maybe Oliver had been a little freaked out by everything too, but it made sense. I went to bed feeling, oddly, better than I had since just before dinner.

The next morning, I woke early and decided to go for a run. I wandered down to the quidditch pitch in my run, without realizing where I was going. When I got there, I found Oliver in the air, practicing. He saw me running and landed. "You are the only person I know crazy enough to be flying around in such cold weather," I teased.

"Can we talk?" he asked. I sighed and nodded. He led us into his captain's office. "How are you feeling?"

"Truth?" I asked. He nodded. "Weird. Physically, I feel fine, but I'm not entirely sure that we should have done it. What about you?"

"Pretty much the same," he answered. "Although, physically, it's easier for me. I was worried last night that I'd hurt you in some way and we didn't really talk after or anything."

"I know," I said. "We should maybe talk more. Did you sleep alright? You're up so early for a Sunday."

"I went to bed early," he replied. "I was avoiding my friends pestering me. Percy figured something was wrong and made me spill, after promising not to tell any professors, of course."

"Percy's a decent bloke," I said, only half-joking. "Penny said that he noticed you weren't really yourself. She told me to talk to you today. That's probably why I ran out here. Subconsciously, I knew you'd be here."

"So, where does this leave us?" he asked.

"Perhaps we should slow things down a bit," I suggested. "We're still together and I'll snog you anytime you want, but maybe we shouldn't sleep together for a while. I think the Christmas holidays freaked us both out a bit. We have to have a child, but not right now."

"I can live with that," he replied, chuckling. "I was also thinking that we should consider how we want to get married. If you're still mad at our parents, we can still keep up the hating each other thing."

"I think we can let that go," I said. "Someone's parents are bound to see us either here or in Hogsmeade. It'll get back to our parents that we've been snogging and acting like we're dating. But, I also want to be able to plan our own wedding. Mum was unbearable for Amy's and took over complete control of the whole event. We should elope."

"We have time to worry about that," he promised. "And I do believe that I heard you promise to snog me anytime I want?" I nodded. "Then pucker up, love, because I want." I laughed and sat on his lap. We snogged for a while before going to breakfast.

After breakfast, I returned to my dormitory to shower and change out of my running clothes. "Where did you go so early?" Jemma asked.

"I went for a run," I answered. "And I met up with Oliver at the quidditch pitch. We talked for a while and then, we snogged before breakfast."

"How did it go?" she asked.

"It went really well," I said. "We've come to an agreement about things and we're working it out."

"Good on you, love," she teased. "We all hate it when you lot are fighting."

"We shall do our best to be sure that we aren't fighting, then," I joked. "But really, I'm just glad that he trusts me enough to talk to me."

"What else did you talk about?" she asked.

"Wedding plans," I said. "We want to determine when and how we get married. We're considering eloping."

"Oh that is sooo romantic," cooed Jemma. "I want to hear everything about it if you decide to do it." I considered things for a moment, before agreeing to keep my friends up to date on any plans. Of course, they were sworn to secrecy so that they couldn't tell my parents anything that we might plan.

The next couple of months went by quickly. Over the Easter holidays, Oliver and I stayed at the school. My mother came for a visit and insisted on meeting me in Hogsmeade for the afternoon. She also insisted that we go to Madame Puddifoot's for lunch. "I don't know why you brought me here; I really hate this place," I whined while waiting for our sandwiches.

"Stop whining, Bryony," Mum ordered. "I brought you here to discuss you and Oliver. I've been hearing things."

"Yeah, well we made a truce and have started dating," I answered. "It's what you wanted, so don't go changing your mind now."

"Sweetheart, I couldn't be happier," Mum cooed, beaming. I wanted to vomit. "Then, now we can start planning your engagement party. We'll announce it at your coming of age party this summer."

"I have absolute control over anything I wear," I warned. "I'm turning 17 on a Thursday. I imagine the party will be on the weekend?"

"Naturally," Mum answered.

"Then, I'll be 17 before the party and will be able to fix any problems with anything you pick out," I stated, plainly. "It will just be easier on us all if I don't have to fix any problems."

"Alright," Mum sighed. I knew that she had been hoping that I would just wear whatever she picked out and be happy with it, like Amy had been, but I'm not my sister and my mother and I have very different tastes.

"And I get to invite some friends," I demanded. As long as I was getting some say in the party, I was going to use it to my advantage.

"Fair enough," Mum replied.

"And Oliver can stay over if he wants," I finished. I didn't really expect to get this one.

"Now, Bryony, you've gone too far," she ordered, glaring. "Oliver will not be sleeping in your room anymore, at least not until you lot are married. I wanted to talk to you about that too. The timing of your marriage could be important. Your father and I have been talking to Oliver's parents about holding the wedding the summer after you graduate."

"I'll talk about it with Oliver," I replied. "We get final say on date, time, and place and on attire."

"We'll talk more about it over the summer," she suggested. It had been too much to hope that we'd have any real say in the timing of our marriage unless we eloped.

"If you're so intent on marrying me off that soon, why did you let Amy wait so long?" I asked.

"She had healer training and Jake had auror training," Mum answered. "You'll be in healer training, but it appears that Oliver will be playing quidditch professionally and we'll want you married before he signs with a team." I nodded and decided that it made sense. Mum and Dad were concerned about broom bunnies damaging their plans for me. (Broom bunnies are girls who follow quidditch players around, much like muggle groupies.)

After we ate, I had to endure shopping with my mother. She wanted me to wear white for my party, as was the tradition with muggle parties. Every dress she chose was more horrible than the last, all with lots of lace and frills. "Mum, I'm just not into those things," I finally said. I had pulled a dress from the rack that my mother let me get. It was still white and had a little lace, but was not nearly as frilly as anything she had chosen. She only agreed because I had refused any of the other dresses. Finally, she left.

When I returned to the castle, I went to find Oliver. He was in the Gryffindor common room, hanging out with his friends. I knocked on the door to Gryffindor tower and asked to see him. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Mum came by for lunch today," I answered.

"Come on," he said, pulling me into the common room and up the stairs to his dormitory. I sat on his bed and sobbed. "What has she done?"

"She's planning to announce our engagement at my coming of age party this summer," I answered.

"We knew that was probable," he said, rubbing my back. "What else has you so upset?"

"They're planning our wedding for right after we graduate," I answered. "If we want to have any control, we'll have to elope before we graduate."

"Bugger," he whispered. "They let your sister wait for a few years. Why are they insisting on us getting married so quickly?"

"Because," I said, "they want to make sure no broom bunnies steal you away from me. And, they let Amy and Jake wait for so long because he was in auror training and she was in healer training. They know that you really just want to play quidditch professionally."

"What about you?" he asked.

"Apparently, I'm going to healer training," I answered. "And they don't seem to care that I'll be miserable if I do go to healer training."

"Then, we'll make sure you don't go," he promised. "You need to go to the Arts Academy in Edinburgh. I won't let you waste your talent."

"Thanks," I sniffed. "Can we stay here for a while? I don't want to face my friends just yet."

"Lie back," he suggested. I lay down on his bed and was asleep before he slipped out of the room. I woke an hour later to find that he had covered me up with his favorite blanket. I was trying to sneak out when Percy caught me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oliver was letting me nap in his bed," I answered, truthfully. "I promise, Percy, he's been down stairs for a while."

"He's not there, though," he stated. "Where is he trying to hide?"

"I don't know," I said, though I was beginning to get annoyed. We had made it to the common room just as Oliver was coming back through the portrait hole with a rather large bouquet of lilacs.

"You deserve these," he said. "I was in Hogsmeade, Percy. I left her sleeping." Percy finally nodded and let us go.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Thanks for the flowers," I said as Oliver led me towards the Great Hall for dinner.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"A little," I said. "How long did it take me to fall asleep?"

"Your head barely touched the pillow, sweets," he answered. "I've thought about what you said about the wedding plans your mum is making."

"And?" I asked.

"I may have a plan," he replied. "Remember, that I had help from the Weasley twins, but they seem to have a knack for this sort of thing. We are legally allowed to be married once we each are 17. Your birthday is a Thursday and there will be a rather large party on Saturday. We can go out on Friday and get married. We'll just tell your parents that I'm taking you on a date for your birthday."

"You're sure about this?" I questioned.

"It's like you said before," he replied. "The only way we're going to have any say in how or when we get married is if we elope. I saw how your mother completely controlled Amy's wedding and it worked for her because she and your mum have similar tastes, but you honestly hated the dress they made you wear."

"It was hideous," I teased.

"You looked beautiful, but I know it was far too frilly for you," he stated, plainly.

"Is that why you tried to kiss me?" I joked.

"Partly," he said, quietly. "I also wanted to kiss you because I had fancied you for years by then."

I didn't say anything. We were in the Great Hall, surrounded by students and professors, but that did not stop me from jumping into Oliver's lap and snogging him fully. I only stopped snogging him when I heard some people cheering us on. "Perhaps we should do that somewhere more private," I suggested, giggling.

"We should, probably, do this somewhere else," he answered, breathless. "But we should definitely keep doing it." I stood, completely finished with dinner, though I hadn't really eaten, and took Oliver's hand. He grabbed a couple of rolls from the table and followed me out of the Great Hall.

I led us to the Quidditch Pitch and into Oliver's office. "I remembered that you have a lovely sofa in here," I said. Oliver didn't say anything. He put his hands on my head and pulled me in for a very heated kiss. He led us to the sofa and we fell onto it, bouncing off.

"That was graceful," Oliver mused, chuckling. He had landed on the bottom of the pile and I was on top of him. I pushed back from his chest and stood, removing my shirt. "I thought we were going to take it slower," he said.

"And I really want to do this," I countered. "But, if you'd rather, I can put my shirt back on."

"Leave it off, B," he ordered, smirking. He removed his shirt and tossed it across the room with mine. He pulled us onto the sofa and resumed kissing me, running his hands through my hair. I scratched my nails down his bare back, eliciting a small moan.

His hands moved towards my bra and he unclasped it while his lips traced my jaw line, neck and collar bone. He slid my bra off my shoulders and added it to the pile of our clothes. My hands were fumbling with his belt, but I managed to remove it and unbutton his pants. I unbuttoned my own pants while Oliver was kissing my chest.

"Oliver," I groaned. "I need you to do it." Oliver nodded and removed our pants and knickers before making love to me.

"I love you," he whispered when we finished.

"I love you, too," I answered, curling up with him. He pulled a blanket off the back of the sofa and threw it over us. "Planning on staying for a while?" I asked.

"As long as I can get away with," he replied. "I miss having you in my arms at night."

"I miss being in your arms at night," I said. "Do you think they'll let us share sleeping quarters if we're married?"

"I doubt it," he answered. "Professor McGonagall will worry about the precedent it will set if they start letting students who are married sleep together. Every randy teenager here will get married just to be able to sleep together."

"Are you sure you shouldn't have been in Ravenclaw?" I teased. "That was really well reasoned."

"The hat thought about Ravenclaw for me for about half a minute," he said, not joking. "It settled on Gryffindor, probably because my Dad was in Gryffindor. Mum was a Ravenclaw, though."

"I didn't know that," I said. I started to shiver and Oliver used his wand to summon his shirt and our underwear. "Thanks," I added, pulling on my knickers and his shirt. He also summoned an extra sweatshirt that he kept in the office.

Slightly warmer, I snuggled closer to Oliver and fell asleep in his arms. We woke the next morning to Fred Weasley (I think) calling to the others, "I found him." He was smirking as the rest of the team piled into the office.

"Guys, do you mind giving us a minute?" he ordered. The team filed out of the office and Oliver locked the door with his wand. I got dressed quickly, handing his shirt back to him and left him to his practice.

When I got back to Ravenclaw tower, my friends demanded to know where I had been. "Oliver and I left dinner early and went to his office," I answered.

"I'm assuming you did quite a lot of snogging there," Christie said, laughing.

"What makes you assume that?" I asked.

"You have a rather large hickey on your neck," Jemma pointed out, joining in the laughter. I rolled my eyes and grabbed some clothes to go shower.

Classes resumed a few days later and Oliver and I were summoned to Professor McGonagall's office after lessons on the first day back. "What have you to say for yourselves?" she demanded. We were both confused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Oliver answered.

"Don't play dumb with me, Wood," she raged. "I've heard muttering about some of your extracurricular activities. Some of those activities include sleeping in each others' beds even though it was forbidden."

"I fell asleep there the other day," I answered. "It was only for an hour and after an emotionally draining lunch with my mother. And I was alone for the entire time."

"I was referring to the night that you lot spent in the quidditch locker rooms," she accused. I blushed heavily. Neither of us spoke. "I don't know what you were thinking, but I'm going to have to give you each detentions. And Mr. Wood, any future indiscretions in your office will result in loss of the captaincy and all of its privileges."

"How long are we in detention?" Oliver asked, sheepishly.

"Until I think you've learned your lesson," she answered. "You are free to go for now, but you will report here at 8:00 tonight." We left and went to drop off our things and get dinner. We returned, as instructed, by 8:00 that evening. Professor McGonagall's punishment was for us to read through the rules for the school for the first night.

"There's nothing in here that forbids us from being married," Oliver said, closing the last book before we returned to our commons. "I'll see you tomorrow," he promised as he kissed me good night.

"I love you," I said, breaking apart to return to my dormitory.

"I love you, too," he answered. "Sleep well, my love." He kissed me once more before sending me on my way back to Ravenclaw tower.

The detentions with Professor McGonagall lasted for a week before she ended them. Each detention seemed to be her way of telling us that she not only knew what we had been up to, but also that we were going to be married. We had to clean more classrooms than either of us cared to think about and we had to sort through dozens of books in the library that all seemed to be about caring for a child.

"Do you think she knows we've had sex?" Oliver asked on the last night.

"I think that's a safe assumption to make," I snapped. I was tired and cranky and didn't want to be bothered with banalities. In reality, I was also starting to get really nervous about end of term exams coming up and sneaking off to get married.

"I'm sorry I asked," Oliver muttered.

We didn't speak for the rest of the detention. Professor McGonagall released us and I went to head back to Ravenclaw tower. "B, wait up," Oliver called as I strode out of the library. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," I said. "I'm just really tired and cranky."

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked. "You look a little peaky."

"I didn't feel up to much to eat today," I answered. "I think I'm really just tired. I promise to try to have a better disposition tomorrow."

"Alright," he said. "But if you're not feeling better tomorrow, perhaps you should see Madam Pomfrey." I nodded, thinking to myself that I would not be going to see Madam Pomfrey the next day whether I was feeling better or not.

That night, I went to bed early and woke feeling rested and better the next morning. I met up with Oliver in the Great Hall for breakfast. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered. "I'm sorry I was a prat last night. I just really needed to get some sleep. I haven't slept well since that night in the captain's office."

"I know and I've been working on something for you," he offered. He wouldn't tell me what it was that he was working on, but he hinted that it had something to do with being able to feel his presence even if he was away. I found out later that day what it was.

Oliver scared the life out of me when he joined me at dinner. "Hello, gorgeous," he whispered. "Come with me. I have a surprise for you." He took my hand and led me away from my friends.

We were in the Charms classroom when he finally stopped. "What is this?" I asked, taking a box from him.

"Open it," he said. "I charmed it myself after class today."

"Is this why you asked to speak to Professor Flitwick?" I asked. He smirked smugly and nodded. I opened the box and found a very cute teddy bear in a Gryffindor sweater. "Is this supposed to be you?"

"It's charmed," he said. "Give it a squeeze." I squeezed it and it smelled like Oliver and was warm.

"So, let me guess," I started. "I sleep with this bear since I can't sleep with my Ollie-bear and he'll keep me warm and happy?"

"Got it in one," he answered. It was, honestly, the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me to that point.

"Thank you," I said, kissing him. "I love it almost as much as I love the guy that charmed it for me." He hugged me tightly for a moment before I decided it was time to go and study. He also had quidditch practice.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

For the next few weeks, I spent every night with the bear that Oliver had charmed for me. We spent as much free time together as possible, often studying under a tree in good weather. As the end of the year drew near, the sixth and seventh years were preparing for the annual Graduation ball. It was only open to students who were sixth or seventh years and their dates. Oliver invited me to go.

"I promise to be on my best behavior," he said.

"In that case, I'll go with you," I teased. I was going to agree anyways. So, on the last Hogsmeade visit of the year, I went shopping with Christie and Jemma, who were also both going to the ball.

"I heard that Liz Johnson didn't get asked," Jemma said as we walked towards the village. Oliver had already gone ahead with his friends and planned to meet us at the Three Broomsticks later that day.

"I heard she tried to ask Oliver after quidditch practice the other night," Christie chimed in.

"She did," I offered. "He told me about it. He told her that he was engaged and would be going to the ball with his fiancée. I think she finally got the hint that he wouldn't be going with her. I think it also helped that the Weasley twins were nearby and did something, though Oliver won't spill exactly what they did."

"So, changing subject," Christie warned. "What are your wedding plans?"

"You lot are sworn to secrecy," I ordered. They agreed. "We're probably going to elope the day after my birthday. The law allows us to marry once we're 17 and we've figured that it's the only way we'll get the wedding we want."

"Are you happy about that?" Jemma asked.

"I'm honestly torn," I answered. "I want to marry him and I want to have a wedding that I want, but I want a wedding with friends and dancing. He says he'll understand if we don't elope, but we also won't get to have the wedding we want. Mum has made that perfectly clear."

"Why won't she let you have your own wedding?" Christie asked.

"Because she's living vicariously through me," I replied. "Apparently, she didn't get the wedding she wanted either, so she has chosen to punish me with this nonsense. She's going to make me wear a dress that is covered in lace and bows and all sorts of nasty frills."

We arrived at the dress shop to find dresses. It took me nearly an hour to find anything that I liked. In the end, I chose a soft pink dress that was knee length. I already had silver sandals that would look perfect with the dress.

Our purchases secure, we made our way to the Three Broomsticks to meet Oliver and his friends. "I'm sorry we're late," I said, kissing his cheek. "There was drama over picking the right dress."

"B, you'll look perfect, no matter what you wear," he promised. "Did you get something that will make you happy?"

"Yes," I answered. "I found a dress that I love."

"Good," he said. He held my seat out for me and went to get us butterbeers from the bar. He returned with drinks for everyone. After our refreshments, we walked back to the castle. Oliver and I agreed to meet by our favorite beech tree to study for the Potions exam that we had on Monday.

We spent the next day studying as well, and since the weather was nice, we were able to study outside again. Our exams started on Monday and finished on Friday. By the time our exams ended on Friday, I was exhausted. I only had a morning exam that day, so I went back to my dormitory to finish packing and take a nap after our Arithmancy test. Jemma and Christie woke me up when they returned from their Divination final.

"How was your test?" I asked.

"As predicted," Christie joked. "Are you ready to get all prettied up for the ball?" I got out of bed and went to shower. When I returned, I did my hair and make-up before putting on my dress. It took me a little over an hour to be completely ready. I was just finishing when Oliver arrived to pick me up.

"You look amazing," he whispered when I met him in the common room.

"Cheers," I answered. "You're not so bad yourself." We walked arm-in-arm to the Great Hall, where the ball was to occur.

We sat at a table with Oliver's friends and their dates, but it was very near to my friends and their dates. When dinner had ended, the dancing began. Oliver led me to the dance floor and we spent most of the night there. This time, no one caused a scene during which we broke up. At the end of the night, Oliver walked me back to Ravenclaw tower and kissed me goodnight until we were interrupted by a few others returning from the ball.

"I'll see you tomorrow on the train," he promised. "Sleep well, princess."

"You too, Bear," I answered. "In case I forgot to tell you, I had a good time tonight."

The next morning, I woke early to get ready to catch the train back to London. I met Oliver at breakfast and we boarded the train together. "Are you alright?" Oliver asked, lifting my trunk onto the rack.

"I'm just tired, I think," I answered. I honestly hadn't been feeling well for a few days; I assumed it was exhaustion from studying.

"Sit down," he ordered. He grabbed some water and let me drink, but it didn't take long before I was running for the loo and vomiting spectacularly. "Feeling better?" he asked when I returned.

"No," I replied. "I feel worse. Can I lean on you to sleep?"

"Here," he said. He took off his jacket and balled it up as a pillow, placing it under my head. He sat on the floor so that I could lay across the seats. I woke 2 hours later, feeling nauseated again. Again, I bolted for the toilet.

"Did you eat something bad?" he asked, handing me the water bottle.

"I ate exactly what you did," I answered. "It's probably just the last few weeks catching up to me."

"You're not pregnant, are you?" he asked, seemingly joking.

"Don't even joke about that," I ordered. "We forgot the charms the last time. And what made you think of that?"

"I read that sometimes women get sick when they're pregnant, especially in the early stages," he replied. "Should we do a revealing charm?"

"Do it now," I suggested. He cast a charm that he had read about in a book and, thankfully, it came back negative. "We've got to be more careful," I warned.

"Yeah," he said. "Try to get some more sleep." He had moved to the seat with me and I leaned against him to take another nap. When I woke, he was dozing and the trolley was just passing by.

"Bear," I said, nudging him slightly. "The trolley's just gone by if you want anything."

"I'm good," he mumbled. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," I answered. "But, I'm still dizzy and sick to my stomach."

"Do you want to nap some more?" he suggested.

"No," I replied. "I'm not really feeling tired right now. I was wondering if you're sure about eloping."

"B, I told you before, I'll marry you whenever, wherever, and however you want," he answered. "If we elope, it will be just for us. We can still have the wedding your Mum wants, but elope and not tell anyone."

"I sort of like that," I answered. "And some of my friends know that we're considering eloping and my birthday party will be the next day. It will almost be like we're having our own reception."

"You know I love you," he said, putting his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head against him and let him hold me until we were pulling into King's Cross.

When we got onto the platform, our parents were waiting for us. "We're staying in town tonight," my Dad said.

I started wavering and Oliver dropped our bags to catch me. ..

**Oliver's POV**

"What's wrong with her?" William asked.

"She hasn't been feeling well," I answered. "She was sick on the train. She thought it was just exhaustion, but I'm worried it's more."

"Has she been sick at all before today?" Leona asked.

"She hasn't said anything and I haven't noticed anything," I answered. "It's been a rough week with finals and the graduation ball. We should get her to hospital." I picked her up to carry her through the barrier and to a hospital.

Our parents followed, carrying our bags and annoying me the entire way. They kept pestering me with questions about why Bryony might be sick, but I honestly couldn't tell them. I started to worry that the charm I performed on the train was wrong in some way, but pushed that thought out of my mind as I carried her to William's car. He drove us to St. Mungo's and I carried her into the Emergency department.

It seemed like hours that we were waiting. When the healer finally came out, she said that Bryony was asking for me, so I followed her to Bryony's room. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Better," she said. "They say I was just dehydrated and exhausted. Did my parents interrogate you too much?"

"They were worried," I answered. "We all were worried. Now, let's just get you better so we can take you home. And we really need to let your parents in here before your Mum hexes someone."

"Alright," she sighed. I went and fetched her parents, who were annoyed that she asked for me first, but also relieved that there was nothing seriously wrong with Bryony. Another hour later, we took her home from the hospital by floo.

**Bryony's POV**

"Can you stay for a while?" I asked Oliver.

"I can stay," he promised. I noticed his father nodding in the background. I was slightly jealous that his parents seemed to really trust his judgment, but I pushed that thought away. I was a little dizzy from the floo travel, so Oliver insisted on carrying me to my room.

"Can I get you anything?" he offered.

"You're the guest," I replied. "I should be asking you that question."

"I don't need anything," he promised. "Your mum is making you something to eat. You need to eat it."

I agreed to eat whatever my mother brought for me. I also asked to take a bath. Oliver went into my bathroom to fill the tub. Then, he helped me there. "You're going to have to wait in my room," I said. "Mum and Dad will go berserk if they think you're in here helping me." He nodded and left me to my bath.

When I got out of the bath, I went back to my room. Oliver was there, turning down my bed for me and starting to unpack my trunk. "You really don't have to do that, you know," I said, startling him slightly.

"I don't mind," he promised. "Your Mum brought your tray and said that I'm not to stay overnight."

"Cheers," I replied. I sat on my bed and ate the soup that Mum had brought for me. When I finished, I asked Oliver to read to me for a while. I fell asleep and woke a few hours later to find him sleeping next to me. I rolled over and went back to sleep.

The next morning, when I woke, Oliver was still sleeping, his arms wrapped around me. I got up, confused as to why my parents hadn't chucked him, and went in search of either of them. I found my mother in the kitchen. "Do you feel better, dear?" she asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "Mum, why didn't you toss Oliver last night?"

"Oh, well your father and I heard him reading to you from that book you love so much and when we came back, he was dozing and you both looked peaceful," she answered. "We also figured that with you feeling so horrible, nothing was going to happen that we didn't approve of."

"Thanks, for trusting us," I said. "I'm going to see if Oliver's awake."

"You should dear," she replied. "His parents will expect him home soon." I nodded and woke Oliver, sending him home.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Later that day, I asked my Mum if I could go shopping to get something for Oliver's birthday. His party was going to be the next weekend. "Of course, dear," she replied. "If you'd like, we can go tomorrow with Stella."

"That would be great, Mum," I said.

So, the next morning, I woke early to go to Oliver's house with my Mum and meet Stella for a day of shopping. We rang the bell and Oliver answered the door. "I wasn't expecting to see you this morning," he said. "You look better."

"We're going shopping," I said. "We're here to meet your Mum. And thanks, I guess."

"Come in and I'll let her know you're here," he promised. He led us into the sitting room and went to fetch his mother. They returned moments later and Stella scolded Oliver for trying to tag along when we were going to be out shopping for his birthday presents.

"Bryony, you'll have several years of his badgering you to try to find out what his presents are," Stella teased.

"I think I can handle him, Mrs. Wood," I joked. "Goodbye, love, we'll see you later." I kissed his cheek and whispered, "I promise to get you something really good."

"I'm sure I'll love whatever you get me," he whispered back. He kissed my temple and we left him for the local train station. We took the train to Edinburgh and commenced our shopping excursion.

"So, you and Ollie have gotten really close," Stella started. I should have suspected that they would interrogate me while we were away.

"You've raised a good son, Mrs. Wood," I answered. "He's very kind and brave and sweet. And, of course, he's handsome. Sadly, many of the other girls at school have noticed."

"Is that what happened at the Christmas ball?" Stella asked. "Oliver won't talk about it."

"If he won't say, Mrs. Wood, I don't think I should, either," I replied. "It's not important anymore anyways. We've forgiven each other and have moved on."

"That's very grown up, dear," Mum said. I just smirked. "Now, we also want to know where he was going when he ran off over the holidays. Did he come to your room?"

I laughed and considered not answering, but I also figured that Oliver wouldn't mind too much. "He did," I answered. "We didn't do anything that you wouldn't approve of, but we both needed those nights to get back to not hating each other."

"We're all glad you used the time to your advantage," Mum finished. "Now, what are we going to get him?"

"I already bought him quidditch tickets," I suggested. "He really loves Puddlemere United and wants to play for them when he graduates. They've got a game next week. I thought he and I could go together. I wanted to get him something else, though."

"That is very thoughtful," Stella commented.

"Thank you, Mrs. Wood," I replied.

"Dear, you can call me Stella," she offered. I agreed and we finished our shopping excursion for Oliver. However, our mothers insisted on starting to look at wedding things.

"Come on, Bryony," Mum whined. "You lot are going to get married in just over a year. We'll want to have most of the planning done before you go back to school."

"I know, Mum, but we really just want a small wedding," I begged. I knew it was a losing battle and too much to hope that they would let us decide, but I had to try.

"Bryony, you know that we have to have a big wedding," Mum pestered. "We've got to invite the families, and the colleagues, and you'll want some friends there."

"We would both be happier with a very small family wedding," I reasoned.

"Let's just go in here," Stella suggested. I looked up and realized that I had, unknowingly, let them lead me to a bridal shop. I groaned as Stella pushed me through the door.

"So, who's the bride?" the shop assistant asked.

"She is," Mum said, pointing at me.

"Wonderful," said the girl, whose name was Rose. "When is the big day?"

"We don't really have a date, yet," I started, but Mum cut in.

"They're getting married August 13 next year," she said, beaming. I sighed, realizing that if I tried to counter her, I'd be treated to a stern lecture. So, for another 2 hours, I let Stella and my Mum throw dress after dress at me. I tried them all on, but hated them.

Finally, Rose brought me a dress that I really loved. It was simple, but elegant and I was more comfortable in it than in anything else I had tried on. Unfortunately, my mother had other ideas. "That's far too plain, dear," she said.

"But, Mum, I love it," I whined. "It's my wedding and I want to wear this dress."

"It just won't do with the theme I have planned," she tutted. Inwardly, I groaned.

"Can we at least think about it?" I begged. She sighed, but relented. We, finally, left the shop and headed home.

"How was your day?" Oliver asked, greeting us at his front door. He also pulled me into a hug.

"It was fine, but I'm really tired now," I answered. "Come over for a while?"

"Mum," he said, "I'm going to see Bryony and Mrs. Martin home and visit with B for a while."

"Back before curfew," Stella ordered. Oliver nodded and put his arm around my shoulder to walk us home.

When we got to my house, Oliver and I stayed in the sitting room. "How bad was the shopping?" he asked, quietly. We had lied down on the sofa, Oliver lying under me. He was gently rubbing my arms.

"We went to a bridal shop," I murmured into his chest. "Apparently, the dress I picked out was too plain for the theme we have planned."

"Oh, my," Oliver answered. He kissed the top of my head and added, "At least it will be interesting." He started to giggle.

"Not helping," I scolded, though I was giggling with him. Then, he started tickling my sides; I tickled him back, rather unexpectedly, and he giggled like a little girl.

"Alright," he panted, between giggles, "I give. Please. Just stop tickling." I did stop, but only because he had been tickling me too. "So, what did you get me for my birthday?" he asked after we had settled down.

"I'm not telling," I sang. "You'll just have to be patient."

"Did you get me some naughty lingerie?" he joked. Unfortunately for him, my father chose that moment to walk into the sitting room.

"Oliver, if I hear you talk like that again, I'll hit you with a permanent silencing charm," Dad warned.

"Of course, Mr. Martin," Oliver stammered. "I'm dreadfully sorry." He sat up quickly, tossing me onto the floor in the process. "Are you alright, B?"

"Fine," I answered, glowering at him. Then, I stood and turned to my dad. "Dad, you no longer have the right to interfere in my life."

"Bryony, you will behave yourself, or you'll be confined to your room and Oliver won't be allowed to visit," he warned. I rolled my eyes, but didn't argue the point any further.

After that, Oliver and I decided to walk around the garden for a while. We paused to snog for a bit once we were certain we were alone. "I wish we could stay out here all night," I said, breaking apart. "Sadly, though, we'll both get into trouble if we're caught out here."

"I know," he said, sighing. "Soon enough, we'll be able to spend every night together. You should go inside; your Mum's about to call you for tea."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked.

"Of course," he promised. "I'll take you flying. I promise I won't let you fall." I nodded and kissed him goodnight before returning to the house.

The next day, Oliver came over in the morning to pick me up and take me for a fly. He flew us out to our favorite spot and we spent the rest of the day together. When it was time to go home, he dropped me off by the front door and I promised to see him the next day at his birthday party.

Oliver's coming of age party was a subdued affair. It was mostly family and a few close friends that were invited. Oliver's classmates from Gryffindor came, so I got to spend time with Kevin, Jack, and Alastair. Percy Weasley also showed up. "How are you lot doing?" I asked, joining them at a table in the garden.

"Good, love," Kevin answered. "How's your summer?"

"It's alright," I replied. "But I seem to have lost my fiancé. Have you seen Oliver?" I had forgotten that Oliver's friends didn't know about our betrothal.

"He's over there with a few girls," Jack commented. I looked over and saw that Oliver was surrounded by some of his female relatives, most of whom were very young. I thanked the lads and went over to rescue him from the throng of munchkins.

"Could I borrow him for a moment?" I asked. I didn't wait for anyone to answer before I dragged him back over to his friends.

"Thank you, love," he whispered as soon as we were out of earshot of the girls. "They were about to start asking some really embarrassing questions."

"I don't think I want to know what they were going to ask," I teased. When we arrived back at the table, Kevin brought up the small foible I made.

"Did you say earlier that you had lost your fiancé, Bryony?" he asked.

"Oh, bother," I said. "I did say that." I started to stammer an excuse, but Oliver cut me off.

"Don't worry about it, love," he said. "Yes, we are engaged. We have been betrothed since we were babies, but only found out over the Christmas holidays. We're officially announcing it at her party in August."

"Well, mate, at least she's pretty," Jack teased.

"Yeah, and she's sort of funny and smart, too," Alastair added.

"Thanks, lads," I joked. "You sure know how to make a girl feel loved." Oliver was standing behind me and had wrapped his arms around me. I leaned back against him and asked if he was going to open his presents soon. He agreed and we sat around the garden while he did.

"Thanks, Mum and Dad," he said. His parents had given him a new watch (wizard tradition) and a new set of keeper's gloves.

He had opened almost all of his presents, except mine. I handed it to him and he opened it. He looked at the tickets and noticed that they were for the next weekend. He said nothing, but grabbed my face and kissed me. "That is the best present yet," he whispered.

"There's more," I said. Then, I handed him the present that I had picked up for him in Edinburgh when I had gone shopping with our mothers. I had bought him a small quaffle charm to wear around his neck.

"Love you," he said, kissing my temple. "This was amazing."

After presents, we stayed out in the garden with his friends, chatting until they all had to leave. Oliver thanked them each for the gifts and promised to see them later that summer. He had put his jacket on me when I got cold and I had started to doze against his chest while we were sitting at the table, drinking whiskeys.

"Come on, love," he said, standing and picking me up. "I think it's time for bed." He carried me into his house and up to his room.

"Oliver," I heard his dad call. "She sleeps alone."

"Yes, Dad," Oliver replied. He carried me to his room and laid me in his bed.

"Goodnight, Bear," I mumbled.

"Sleep well, Honey B," he said, kissing my temple.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Saturday after Oliver's birthday, we traveled by portkey to Puddlemere to see a professional quidditch match. We arrived early, as I had arranged for Oliver to have a meeting with the team coaches and some members of the team. "You are the best girl, ever," he said when we took our seats.

"I've been told," I teased. "Now, of course, you have to make it up for me for my birthday."

"I'm already planning something spectacular," he promised with a cheeky grin.

"If it's the promise of fantastic sex, I already get that," I teased.

"Damn," he joked. "I was hoping that the promise of special birthday sex would be enough. Now I have to go shopping for a present."

We were laughing our heads off when there was a tap on my shoulder. "If you wouldn't mind, please keep your private discussions private," said some old bat, who was obviously jealous.

"We're sorry," I replied, cracking up. "We'll keep it down." Oliver was turning red and shaking with laughter. The game started a few moments later, so our conversation was curbed anyways. Oliver was very focused on the game and explained the finer points of what was going on to me. He actually had me liking quidditch, but more because of his enthusiasm for the sport.

As we were leaving, I said, "I had a really good time today."

"Love, this was the best present ever," he offered. "And I should be telling you that I had a really good time today." Arm in arm, we marched back to catch our portkey.

The next few weeks were spent finishing the final preparations for my 17th birthday (including several secret meetings between Oliver and me to plan our elopement). Oliver had written to the Ministry of Magic, sending a copy of our marriage contract and found that there was an office in Edinburgh where we could get married. Since we would both be 17, we wouldn't require anything from our parents.

My mother had me doing dress fittings and meetings with caterers nearly every day. She almost went spare when Oliver suggested that I spend the day with him on the Friday when we had decided to get married. I had overheard them in the sitting room. "Please, Mrs. Martin," he begged. "I've got a special birthday present for her and it's only available for that day."

I heard my mother sigh and say, "And what time will you be picking her up?"

"Around noon," Oliver answered. "I plan to take her to lunch and make a day of it in Edinburgh. I'll bring her back by midnight."

"You can have until 1:00 AM for that night only," she promised. "I guess it's better I give my blessing because you lot would probably sneak off either way."

"Probably," he laughed. "Thank you, Mrs. Martin. I'll take good care of her."

"I know you will," Mum answered. "And, please, call me Leona."

I waited for Oliver outside the house, giddy with excitement. When he, finally, came outside, I leapt into his arms and kissed him fiercely. "That's quite the thank you," he joked when we broke apart. "So, on Friday, I'll need you to bring some sheet music and dance clothes, along with something dressy for afterwards."

"What have you got planned?" I asked.

"You'll have to wait to find out," he teased.

It was true. Oliver wouldn't tell me anything about what he had planned; he only told me what to bring. So, on Friday morning, I got up early to shower and get ready for the day. I packed a small bag with the things he said I would need and dressed in a white sundress. I pulled a small sweater over the sundress and went to meet Oliver.

He picked me up, promptly at noon. "I have a change of clothes hidden on me," he said. "Don't worry." He was wearing his favorite Puddlemere shirt and a pair of khaki pants. "Mum and Dad would have suspected something if I was dressed up so early."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get there," he teased. We had arrived at the local train station and took the train to Edinburgh. When we reached Edinburgh, Oliver led me through the streets to a secluded neighborhood which housed the Magical Arts Academy.

"Audition for Martin," Oliver explained to the receptionist when we arrived. I stood, mouth gaping, until Oliver returned to me. "I have arranged for you to audition. Come on, love, you have to change."

"You are getting so lucky later," I promised. Honestly, if it wouldn't have caused a huge scene, I would have jumped him there. I was led to a changing room where I donned the dancing clothes that I brought and then to the stage for my dance audition. With that complete, I went to audition for the music conservatory.

"We will notify you before Christmas," said the matron. "I have received the recommendation from Professor Flitwick."

"Thank you," I choked. It was all I could muster as I was trying hard to fight back tears. I met up with Oliver in the hallway after changing back into my sundress. I leapt into his arms and kissed him. "That was so sweet. You filled out my application for me and everything."

"It's your dream, love," Oliver replied. "I'm going to make sure you achieve it. I'll tell your parents myself when we get your acceptance letter. Now, how about something to eat?"

I nodded and followed Oliver back into the street. There was a small wizards' café near the school where Oliver took me to eat. We chatted about our plans for after graduation. Oliver's goal was to play professional quidditch. "You'll have a try-out with a few teams," I promised. "Maybe even Puddlemere."

"That would be a dream," he mused. After lunch, we went shopping for a few hours until it was nearing 4:30. Then, Oliver turned and said, "It's not too late to back out, but if we're going to do this, we have to go to the Ministry office."

I smiled at him, grabbed his hand and said, "Let's go."

The Ministry office was very small and cluttered. When we arrived, we approached the receptionist and gave her our name. "You're the marriage?" she asked. We nodded. "Do you have a copy of the contract?"

"Yes, and I've already submitted a copy to Mr. Denters," Oliver replied. He had also changed into a suit and looked devilishly handsome. The receptionist kept eying him.

"Very well, then," she sighed. She paged Mr. Denters and he emerged from his office. Then, he led us back.

"Here's a copy of the contract," Oliver said.

"Very well, indeed," said Mr. Denters. "Would you care to recite your own vows, or do you prefer that I offer them?"

"Could you please offer them?" I asked, suddenly very nervous. Oliver squeezed my hand and reminded me that he was nervous too.

"Of course, dear," said Mr. Denters. "Now, I have received your marriage contract, signed by your parents when you were infants. Have you each read it?"

"We have," we both answered.

"Good," Mr. Denters replied. "Mr. Wood, please take her hand and face her." Oliver did as instructed. "Do you, Oliver Duncan Wood, take this woman to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and respect her until you are separated by death?"

"I do," Oliver promised.

"And do you, Bryony Leigh Martin, take this man as your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and respect him until you are separated by death?"

"I do," I answered.

"Do you have rings?" he asked. Oliver procured a small box from his pocket. "Mr. Wood, please place this on her finger and say I give you this ring as a sign of my fidelity."

"I give you this ring as a sign of my fidelity," Oliver repeated, sliding the ring onto my hand.

"Miss Martin, place the ring on his finger and say I give you this ring as a sign of my fidelity," he ordered.

"I give you this ring as a sign of my fidelity," I said, sliding the ring onto Oliver's hand.

"Then, by the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic," said Mr. Denters, waving his wand over our joined hands, "I proclaim that you are bonded for life." Golden strands flew out of his wand, wrapped around our hands, and disappeared. "You may kiss her." Oliver needed no further encouragement before he, gently, grasped my face in his hands, and kissed me.

When we broke apart, we thanked Mr. Denters and left the office. "Where to now?" I asked.

"A light supper and then I have a special surprise for you," he promised. We ate sandwiches at a deli and then, Oliver took me to a ballet. "Since you took me somewhere special for my birthday, I thought I'd do the same."

"This is amazing," I whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Wood," he cheeked. Until that moment, it hadn't dawned on me that I was married. My head snapped up and I looked at Oliver, smirking at me. "Just figured it out, did you?" he teased.

"Shut it," I said. "It didn't seem real until you said my name, but I rather like it."

"Will you be going by Wood from now on, then?" he asked.

"Maybe after we tell our parents," I replied. "Until then, for everyone but you, I think I should still be Martin. You're not angry, are you?"

"I had expected as much," he answered. "When should we tell our parents?"

"Not just yet," I said. "Let's give them some time to think we're still only engaged."

When the ballet ended, Oliver took us home by side-along apparition, as he had just passed his apparition test. He kissed me on the stoop to the house, and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Stay with me tonight," I begged. "I want you to. Just fly up to my balcony and we'll cast some good silencing charms."

"If we get caught, they'll know what we've been up to," he reasoned.

"I don't really care," I countered. "I want to spend our first night as a married couple in bed together. We don't have to do anything more than snogging and sleeping if you don't want to, but I really want to."

"I'll be back in half an hour," he promised. "Make sure your parents are asleep and leave a torch on your balcony." I nodded and went into the house.

Mum and Dad were waiting up for me. "How was your day?" Dad asked.

"It was lovely," I answered. "Oliver took me to see a museum and then to the ballet after dinner."

"That sounds like a good day, love," Mum replied. I nodded and bade my parents good night before ascending the stairs to my bedroom.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

When I got to my room, I put on some of the sexy lingerie that I managed to get behind my mother's back, cast a few silencing charms, and waited for my parents to go to bed. When I saw their light go out, I lit a candle on my balcony for Oliver. He arrived a few moments later, apparating right into my room.

He kissed me fiercely, pushing me back against my bed. I raised my arms and let him peel my shirt off me. "Nice bra," he mused, taking in the black lace bra that I had put on.

"I have matching knickers," I teased. His hand moved down to my bum and gave it a squeeze.

"I don't feel any knickers," he muttered, kissing at my collarbone.

"They're terribly tiny," I whispered, huskily. I was trying to remain standing, but the movement of his mouth against my skin was causing my knees to buckle. Gladly, we were close enough to my bed that when I did fall, bringing him with me, it was onto something soft.

"So, these tiny knickers," Oliver said, taking a break, "could I possibly see them?"

"Let me think about that," I joked. "Yeah, alright. I suppose it won't hurt for you to have a look." He, painfully slowly, removed my pajama pants and stared at the tiny, black lace knickers I was wearing for several long moments. I suddenly became very self-conscious and blushed deeply.

"No need to blush, B," Oliver said, sincerely. "You're very beautiful."

"You make me feel beautiful," I answered, sitting up to kiss him. I pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it across my room. Next, I flipped us so that I was sitting on his lap. I pushed him back against my bed and kissed his mouth, neck, and chest.

I unbuckled his belt and removed it before unbuttoning his trousers. He pulled my face back to his and kissed me again, turning us over. He pulled his trousers off and threw them into the pile of clothes. "Nice boxers," I teased. He had little snitches flying around his pants.

"Shut it, Wood," he joked.

"Say it again," I begged.

"Shut it," he teased.

"You know what I meant," I scolded.

"Mrs. Wood," he said. His hands slid behind my back and unclasped the bra. He removed it and tossed it aside. Next, he removed my knickers and his boxers, also tossing them aside. "I love you, Mrs. Wood," he said just before making love to me.

"I love you back, Mr. Wood," I said when we finished. "And that was bloody brilliant." We were both panting and sweaty. Since the night was nice, I grabbed my wand opened the balcony door to let some cool air in.

Since neither of us was really tired, we stayed up talking nearly all night. We talked about anything we could think of. "What do you think they'll do when they find out?" I asked. I didn't need to elaborate. Oliver knew what I was referring to.

"My Dad will say, 'Well done, son,' and Mum will cry," he answered. "Your parents are going to be pretty pissed at both of us. Beyond that, I have no idea."

"My parents aren't going to speak to me," I said. I was sitting up, wrapped in a sheet, and staring out the window. I brushed a silent tear off my cheek, hoping that Oliver wouldn't notice; he did.

"Everything will work out," he said, drying my cheek with his hand. "I promise."

"Thanks," I said, curling back into him.

Just before dawn, I woke to find Oliver getting dressed. "I should get back home before they find I'm gone," he said, pulling his shirt over his head. "I'll see you later. Promise to save me a dance."

"My card is already full," I teased. "I've reserved all of my dances for a quidditch-obsessed bloke who has a rather nice arse and a devilish smile."

"Is he bigger than me?" he joked. He kissed my head and apparated home. I got out of bed, dressed, and opened my door.

"Good morning, Bryony," Dad said, wandering down the hall. "I was just coming to get you up. Have you seen Oliver this morning?"

"No," I lied. "He dropped me off last night and went home."

"His parents couldn't find him first thing this morning," he said. "I think his Dad was looking for him."

"He was probably sleeping," I replied. "He is a heavy sleeper." Dad seemed to buy it and went back to his study to contact Oliver's parents. I went to make for the shower, but my mother caught me.

"Bryony, be a dear and make sure your room is clean today," she said.

"Can Oliver stay tonight?" I asked. I had asked before, but they didn't really give me an answer.

"I'll talk with your father about it," she replied.

A few hours later, I had showered and cleaned my room when my mother knocked on my door. "I've spoken with your father and with Oliver's parents," she said, startling me. "Oliver may stay tonight as long as your door stays open."

"Thanks Mum," I squealed. I bounced and hugged her. Then, I went and actually cleaned my room so that the mess wasn't just swept into a closet. I also changed my sheets, a task much easier done with magic.

I was finishing my room when my sister appeared. "Happy birthday, Bryony," she said.

"Thanks, Amy," I replied. "How is married life treating you?"

"We're deliriously happy," she bragged. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes. "Don't roll your eyes," she scolded (I guess it wasn't so inward). "It's rude."

"Sorry," I muttered. "Are you staying for the party?"

"Yes, I suppose I have to," she replied. I honestly couldn't figure out how we were related. "I heard you got a really simple dress."

"It's what I wanted," I answered. Her taste in clothes was as bad as my mother's. "I'm sure Oliver will like it."

"Yes, he does like things that are plain," she sneered. I actually grabbed my wand to hex her, though mildly, but thought better of it.

"I think it's time for you to go and see to Mum," I said, shoving her out of my room and finishing the cleaning. I also snuck out of the house and over to Oliver's. I knocked on his bedroom window, after climbing the tree to get there.

"How did you get up here?" he asked.

"I climbed the tree," I replied. "Amy's here and she's just lovely."

"Sit down," he ordered. He shut his door and locked it. Then, he sat next to me on his bed and put his arm around me. "What did she say?"

"Nothing that I shouldn't have expected," I replied. "She seems to think that I'm plain and simple."

"Those are two of the things I like best about you," he said. "You don't require a lot of fuss to make yourself beautiful. Your sister needs hours in front of a mirror and she's not nearly as pretty."

"Well played, my love," I joked.

"I was being serious," he said. He got up to kneel in front of me. "If our parents hadn't betrothed us, I would have wanted to marry you anyway. And, since I'm going to give it to you today, anyway, I thought you might like your engagement ring."

"It's a little late to the game, don't you think?" I teased.

"It's never too late to tell you I love you," he said. He pulled the ring box out of his drawer and opened it. "What do you say, B? Do you want to get married?"

"To you?" I teased, opening the box. Then, I gasped. The ring was everything that I could want in an engagement ring. It was antique, with a square cut diamond and smaller diamonds around it. It was also set in platinum. "Yes, I want to get married to you."

Oliver slid the ring onto my finger and kissed my hand. Then he stood and opened his door. He led me into the house and to the sitting room. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"For a fly," he answered. "I promised flying lessons for you and I promise not to let you fall."

We found his broom in the shed where he stored it. There was a small quidditch pitch on his property and he took us out to the pitch. "Now, when you kick off, use both legs at the same time. To go faster, lower yourself over the broom; to slow down, pull up on the handle. You're left-handed, so keep your left hand in front of the right for steering."

Nervously, I followed Oliver's instructions and kicked off from the ground. I was a little wobbly, but at least I didn't fall. I let myself go up about 5 feet and flew around for a few moments before setting back down. Of course, when I landed, I fell as Oliver had forgotten to tell me how to land. "I forgot about the landing," he said, helping me up. "Next time, when you want to land, push slightly towards the ground on the handle and use your feet to put the broom on the ground. Do you want to try again?"

"Maybe another day," I said, handing the broom back to him. "I should probably get back home before Mum sends out a search party. She'll be unbearable for the rest of the day. Come early to the party and pack an overnight bag."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Mum and Dad have agreed that you can stay," I answered, smirking. "Of course, we have to leave the door open, so there will be no naughty lingerie or shagging going on."

"I think I can live with that," he teased. "I'll see you soon." He kissed my head and I ran home.

Mum was in a state when I arrived at home. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "The caterers are here and the flowers are being delivered and you've suddenly run off."

"I went to see Oliver," I answered. "He gave me a flying lesson."

"Flying lesson?" she shouted. "Is that what you're calling it now?"

"What are you on about?" I replied. "He took me to his pitch and taught me how to fly a little."

"Then, how would you explain his shorts in your room?" she growled. She presented me with Oliver's boxer shorts from the day before. I couldn't think up a good lie fast enough. "It seems he spent the night at some point, is that true?" At least she didn't know that it was the previous night.

"Yes, Mum," I answered. "He came by a week ago." Then, she set off into over drive. She was on the floo to Oliver's parents and before I knew it, he and his parents were in my sitting room.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"You spent the night last week," I replied. "Mum found your boxers in my laundry."

"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Mum demanded.

"Oliver stayed over last week," I answered.

"Was that your first time?" Stella asked, sounding nearly as angry as my mum.

"It wasn't the first time I spent the night," Oliver answered, coyly. "I stayed over during the Christmas holidays, but you lot knew that."

"I meant was this the first time you shagged her?" Stella shouted. I turned redder than I could have imagined.

"Well, Mum, you see," Oliver stammered.

"I'm guessing that it wasn't," Duncan interjected. "Look at how they're trying to figure out a lie. When was the first time?"

"Do you really need to know?" Oliver asked. "It's not really relevant at this point." I was trying to shrink back into the sofa enough so that it would swallow me whole. Unfortunately, my mother noticed.

"Sit up straight, Bryony," she ordered. "Mr. Wood asked you a question. When was the first time?"

"February," I answered. "On one of the Hogsmeade weekends, we came back early and had a snow fight. One thing led to another and that was when it happened."

"Oliver, you will not be permitted to stay over tonight," Mum said, finally. Oliver and I nodded, knowing better than to try to argue any further. It would have only gotten us in more trouble.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After Oliver and his parents left, Mum lectured me for as long as she dared on why sleeping with Oliver was a rather large mistake and I should be ashamed of myself. "I'm sorry, Mum," I said, when she finished. Then, she dismissed me to go and get ready for the party.

While I was getting my hair done, Amy came into my room for another lecture on why I was a shameless slag who had no right to sleep with Oliver before we got married. "Bugger off, Amy," I said, aiming my wand at her. "I'm old enough to do magic outside of school now and I'm not afraid to use my wand." She huffed, and stomped out of my room, no doubt to rat me out to our mother.

Sure enough, mere moments later, my mother stormed in and demanded an explanation of my behavior with my sister. "She started it, Mum," I argued. "She came in and felt the need to give me another lecture on why I'm a whore. If that's all either of you want to say to me, you can both go to hell."

"Bryony, you are testing my patience today," she snarled. "If you keep this up, I will cancel your party."

"You mean _YOUR_ party," I countered. "I didn't ask for it and if you want to cancel, go the hell ahead and do it." She balled up her fists and stormed out.

My hair was finished and the make-up was almost done when my dad came in. "Hello, Bryony," he said. "You look lovely."

"Did Mum send you in?" I demanded. "Because I've had enough of her today."

"She's just worried about you," he reasoned. "You see, sex is a commitment and could result in things that you're not ready for. And, yes, we chose Oliver for you, but that doesn't mean we want you to grow up today."

"Daddy, I love him," I replied. "In spite of Mum's best efforts to make me miserable, we may just have a happy marriage."

"Your mother loves you very much, Bryony," Dad said, calmly. I scoffed. "It's true, Busy Bee. She loves you very much, even if she doesn't always know how to show it. Amy was easy for her. They're very alike in many ways. But you, you were always a mystery to your mum. She didn't understand why you would like playing with a boy all the time and you had no time for girly things like dolls and tea sets."

"I like girly things," I countered. "I love music and dance. Oliver never had to take lessons. And as for being friends with him, you lot made us play together."

"You were much more cerebral than Amy," Dad reasoned. "You were always more into books and music. She hated school and all of the things that you love. It seems strange that she was o.k. with going to healer training, but your mother wanted it for her and she wanted it too."

"Does she hate me?" I asked. "Sometimes, it seems like she really wishes I was never born."

"You did demand quite a bit of attention when you were a baby," Dad explained. "Amy wasn't too keen on being an older sister when you came along. But, no, I don't think she hates you. She just doesn't know what to do with you. When you were old enough for her to play with you, she was off to school and you were hanging around Oliver. I wanted to give you this before your party." He pulled a small box out of his pocket.

I opened the box and found his grandmother's tiara. "Is this great-grandma's tiara?" I asked.

"I was hoping you'd wear it tonight with your dress," he answered. "Amy didn't want to wear it because it wouldn't go with her dress, but I thought maybe you'd like it."

"I love it, Dad," I replied. "It will look beautiful with the dress. Now, it's nearly 7 and Mum will go spare if I'm not ready by 7, so I need to get dressed." Dad kissed my cheek and left me alone to finish getting ready.

At exactly 7:00, I descended the stairs to join my party. Oliver was already there and waiting. "I've had a rather long lecture on responsibility this afternoon," he said. "I'm sorry about that. Also, I'm not to shag you again until we're married."

I laughed against his embrace. "Then, anytime will do," I joked. "It's alright. We should probably be more careful anyways. We seem to have a knack for forgetting the contraceptive charms. We wouldn't want to have to tell our parents that they're going to be grandparents."

"Sweet, Merlin, no!" he exclaimed. He took my hand and led me into the courtyard, where the guests had gathered. My mother took the opportunity to announce to all gathered that we would be married the following August.

I was surrounded by friends and family almost immediately. They were all offering best wishes and wanting to see my ring. By the time I was able to sneak away, into Oliver's welcoming arms, the dancing was about to start. "Dancing or dinner, love?" Oliver asked.

"Something to eat and then a dance," I replied. So, Oliver got me something to eat and when we had finished, he led me to the dance floor.

"I thought you had your dance card reserved for some quidditch-obsessed blighter," Oliver teased as he led me around.

"He'll be here later," I joked. "Of course, his arse isn't quite as nice as yours."

"So you _HAVE_ checked it out," he laughed. I blushed but leaned into him as we continued dancing.

After 3 songs, I let Oliver lead me off the floor to get some cake. Of course, we quickly found out that I couldn't eat the cake as it had a strawberry filling. "Leave it to my mother to forget that I'm allergic to strawberries," I mumbled, sadly.

"Want to get out of here?" he asked.

"Lead the way," I replied. He grabbed my hand and led me to the edge of the dance floor. Then, he turned and apparated us to his house.

"We're just here to get my broom," he promised.

We got his broom, climbed on, and kicked off into the air. We flew to our favorite cliff side and Oliver produced a bottle of wine that he had stolen from the party. "How is it that you always seem to manage to get alcohol from one of our parties?" I asked as he opened the bottle.

"I'm quite crafty," he said, with a wink. "Did you have fun at your party?"

"No," I answered. "I haven't had fun today except when we went flying. It was the only part of the day that was about me and not someone else, which is sad since it's my birthday they're all celebrating. Do you think they've noticed we're gone yet?"

"My Dad saw us leaving, but he likes you and he won't say anything," Oliver promised. "I had a long talk with him after we got back to my house. He wanted to make sure that I didn't shag you just to shag you, that I was a gentleman about everything. He also said that he's got a pretty good idea about what we were up to yesterday, but he's promised not to tell anyone, including my Mum."

"Do you mean the eloping or the audition?" I asked.

"Both," he answered. "He's known you don't want to go to healer training for quite a while, and he's only guessing at what else we did yesterday."

We stayed at that cliff side well into the night. When I got cold, Oliver took his jacket off and gave it to me. When he got cold, we snuck back to his house and went to bed in his room. He figured that my parents banned him from sleeping in my room, but his parents had not banned me from his room. He even let me sleep in his favorite Puddlemere United shirt, saying that it looked better on me.

When I woke the next morning, Oliver was still snoring lightly next to me. He started to stir and hummed into my neck. "Morning, beautiful," he whispered into my hair.

"Good morning," I answered. "I need to get home before they send out a search party."

I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he held firm. "Just stay for breakfast," he suggested. "Mum and Dad won't be angry. I promise." I was hungry as I didn't get much to eat at my party the night before and it was nearing 9:00.

"Breakfast," I agreed. We got out of bed and Oliver handed me a pair of shorts. Then, we padded downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

"It's good to know you aren't being bludgeoned somewhere," Duncan mused while reading his Daily Prophet.

"Sorry about leaving early, Dad, but B had to get out of there," Oliver explained. "Someone bought her a birthday cake that was laced with strawberry filling and we all know how she reacts to strawberries."

"Would you like some toast, dear?" asked Stella. It amazed me that Oliver's parents knew that we had snuck out of my party early and spent the night together in his bed and were not chewing us out.

"Toast would be lovely if you have marmalade," I answered. Oliver handed me the jar after opening it for me. I ate the toast, and then some sausages that Stella had fried up for Oliver. When I finished eating, I made Oliver take me home.

Mum and Dad were waiting when I opened the door. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Mum screeched.

"I was with Oliver," I answered, not elaborating further.

"When did you leave the party?" Mum asked.

"When did you notice I was gone?" I countered.

"Somewhere around 11," Dad answered.

"I had been gone for over 2 hours by that time," I said, letting the tears fall. "I can't believe you didn't even notice I was gone."

"Where did you go?" Mum asked, through gritted teeth.

"None of your business," I answered. "I was with Oliver. And now, I'm going to get my things and stay with Oliver. When you lot decide you want a daughter, let me know. I'll be at the Woods." I grabbed Oliver's hand and led him to my room.

Once inside, Oliver shut and locked the doors while I sat on my bed, completely dumbfounded. "What have I just done?"

"You did what you need to do for yourself," he answered. "Your parents haven't figured out that you are not your sister and they don't get to treat you like her."

Oliver helped me pack my trunk, but I paused before we left. "Are you sure your parents won't mind?"

"They already love you like a daughter," he promised. "Mum will make a fantastic dinner for tonight and we'll spend the rest of the evening after dinner in the lounge, listening to quidditch. It's what we do every Sunday. And if you want, the piano is still in the parlor. You can play rather than listen to quidditch."

"Really?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered. "My parents are friends with your parents, but they're vastly different too. Now, we should finish getting your things and get over to my house."

I waved my wand and finished packing my suitcase. Oliver levitated it out of my room and down the stairs. When we reached the door, my dad apologized and said I should come home when I was ready. My mum didn't acknowledge I was leaving.

When we arrived back at Oliver's house, his parents were mildly shocked, particularly since he was carrying my suitcase. "Mum, Dad, you don't mind if Bryony stays for a bit, do you?" he asked.

"Of course not," Duncan replied. "She can have the guest room right across from yours." Oliver nodded and took my bag upstairs; I followed.

"I'll be right across the hall if you need something," he said. "If we tell them about Friday, they'll let us room together."

"Will they tell my parents?" I asked.

"Not if you don't want them to," he answered. "They will respect what we want. I told you, I won't force you to do anything."

I sat on the bed considering what to do for a moment. I didn't want to keep lying to Oliver's parents, who were so understanding about everything, but I also wasn't sure I wanted to put them through the heart ache when they were being so kind. I started to cry and Oliver knelt in front of me. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"Your parents really love you," I said. "They don't care if you're not exactly the person they want you to be; they just love you."

"Of course they do," he answered. "Your parents love you too; they just haven't figured out how to do it yet. They'll come around, at least your dad will. Now, do you want anything?"

"No," I answered. "I'm just going to unpack."

"We're down stairs if you need anything," he promised as he left.

**Oliver's POV**

I left Bryony to unpack her belongings in the guest room. I promised that I'd be downstairs, but there was something I needed to take care of. "Dad, I'm going out on an errand," I said. "I'll be back soon."

"Do you need help with anything?" he offered.

"I'll be fine," I answered. "But, if Bryony needs anything, could you or Mum help her out?" He nodded and I left through the front door. I apparated to the Martin's house and knocked on the front door.

"Back so soon?" William asked.

"Could I have a word, Mr. Martin?" I said, pushing past him and into the sitting room. I looked around and noticed that the pictures strewn about didn't really include Bryony. Most of them were of her sister, growing up, at her coming of age party, at her wedding.

"Where are the pictures of Bryony?" I asked. He didn't answer. "I see. I didn't want to believe that she was right about you lot. I wanted to think that she was angry about the strawberry cake at her party and was clouded by her anger. But she was sugar coating things. You don't deserve her."

"She wasn't supposed to be a girl," William said finally.

"Mr. Martin, all due respect, sir, but be thankful for the child you've got and quit pining for the one that doesn't exist," I said. "You may have wanted a son, but you got a daughter, and a right good one at that. She's funny and smart, and talented. It is so easy to love her if you just try."

"I don't know what to do with girls," he said. "Amy was always her mother's daughter. Leona was so happy when we had Amy. And then, we had another baby and it was supposed to be a boy, but she's so unlike her mother. They really have nothing in common and I have no idea what to do with a girl."

"Just talk to her," I suggested. "Get to know her a little. She's got great insight and she really wants her parents. She'll be with us until you lot figure it out. I hope it's sooner rather than later. And you should probably tell your wife that I won't appear for whatever monstrosity of a wedding she's planning. She'll give Bryony a wedding that is about Bryony or I won't show up."

"Fair enough," William answered. "And Oliver, you're a good man, son. Take care of my daughter."

"There was never any question of that, sir," I answered. "I'm going to get back to her and see if she needs anything. I'm not telling her I came here." He nodded and I left. When I returned, Bryony still hadn't emerged from her room. I went to check on her and found her sleeping, holding tight to the bear I gave her. So, I left the door opened and climbed into bed with her.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**Bryony's POV**

I woke up, not realizing that I was tired enough to fall asleep again, and found that I was not alone. Oliver's arm was curled around my waist and a light blanket was covering both of us. "Did you do this?" I asked, indicating the blanket.

"Mum must have done it," he answered, sleepily.

"We should tell them what we did on Friday," I suggested.

"Yeah," Oliver replied. "Let's go." He got up and took my hand, leading me to the sitting room. His parents were sitting on the sofa, reading. "Mum, Dad, we have something to tell you."

"What is it, Oliver?" Duncan asked.

"We would like you to promise not to tell anyone else," I interjected. "Especially my parents."

"I think we're going to hear what they did on Friday," Stella said. "Where did you go?"

"We went to a Ministry of Magic office in Edinburgh," Oliver answered. "We got married."

"You owe me a knut," Duncan teased. "Son, we knew where you went. Bryony, dear, your parents are still clueless, but Oliver had a copy of your marriage license delivered here by mistake."

"We're happy for you, though we would have liked to be there," Stella said, pulling a parcel from under the sofa. "Happy marriage," she said, offering the parcel to Oliver and me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's a wedding present," Duncan said. "We knew you lot were going to do something like run off and get married, so we thought we'd prepare for that very likely scenario."

Timidly, I took the offered parcel and sat down on the other sofa with Oliver. My eyes were wide as saucers as I was taken completely off guard by their generosity. Oliver nudged me and we opened the package together. His parents had given us a lovely quilt and a photo album. "It's only the start," Stella promised, "but we thought, when you have a flat, you'll need something for your bed. And the album is for the photos of your family as it grows."

"It's beautiful," I whispered, trying very hard not to cry and failing miserably.

"Thank you, Mum and Dad," Oliver said, sincerely. He gently rubbed my back as my fingers traced the patches on the quilt.

"You can move your things into Ollie's room, dear," Stella said quietly. "Since you're married, you lot are entirely welcome to share a room."

Oliver and I took the quilt up to his (our) room and set it out on the bed. "How is it that your parents aren't downstairs plotting ways to make our lives hell?" I asked.

"They accepted the fact that we were likely to do whatever made us happy with this whole marriage contract thing," he answered. "And they also know that your parents will insist on a wedding, so they'll be able to watch us get married once."

We returned to the sitting room, where Oliver and his dad listened to a Quidditch match on the wireless. I helped Stella make dinner in the kitchen. When dinner was ready, Stella forced Duncan and Oliver to turn off the wireless and join us at the table. There was a little whining about it, but they caved when she promised that they could eat the cold leftovers when the game was done.

After dinner, Oliver and I walked to the quidditch pitch for another flying lesson. This time, I let myself go higher in the air and Oliver, using his dad's broom, flew with me. We did some laps around the pitch before setting back down on the ground. "You're a fast learner," he commented when we touched ground.

"Cheers," I replied. "What else do you have planned for the evening?"

"I don't have anything else planned, yet," he answered. "What would you like to do?"

"I have absolutely no idea," I said, laughing. "We could stay out here and snog for a while."

"No need to ask twice, princess," he cheeked. He nearly tackled me to the ground and kissed me fiercely. It took him almost no time to start tugging at the hem of my shirt. He caressed my stomach and breasts as we continued to kiss.

Neither of us noticed it had started raining until the first flash of lightning illuminated the sky. We broke apart and got up. Then, we ran back to the house, giggling like children the entire way. When we reached the house, we went straight to our bedroom. Oliver brushed the hair out of my face and kissed me again. "You should get out of the wet clothes," he whispered, huskily.

"So should you," I replied, tugging at his shirt. I lifted it over his head and tossed it aside as his lips crashed into mine. He broke the kiss again, briefly, to remove my shirt and toss it on the floor.

Gently, he pushed me back towards the bed, roaming his hands all over my body, even squeezing my bum. I paused and pushed him back. "Should we be doing this here?" I asked.

"Do you want to do it in the sitting room?" he joked.

"I mean, what about your parents?" I asked.

"They won't bother us," he promised. Then, he waved his wand, locking the door and casting silencing charms around the room. He also aimed his wand at my belly and cast a contraceptive charm. He resumed kissing me, first on the mouth and then on the neck, collarbone and chest. He snaked his hands behind my back to unhook my bra, but couldn't get it.

"It hooks in the front," I teased. He rolled his eyes, but unhooked the bra. He sat me up long enough to remove my bra and then, pulled my pants off.

He made love to me slowly, pausing every few moments to ask if I was enjoying the experience. I assured him that it was more than satisfactory. When we finished, it was still warm and we had both slept a lot during the day, so neither of us was tired.

"I think it's stopped raining," he said. "Let's sit on the balcony." So, I grabbed his Puddlemere t-shirt and pulled it on while he pulled his boxers on. We sat on the balcony for as long as we dared. I must have dozed off in his arms because I didn't remember getting into bed, but I woke there.

"Good morning, sunshine," he teased when I started to stir.

"Mmmm-hmm," I hummed. "What time is it?"

"Nearly 8," he answered. "Are you hungry?"

"Very," I replied. "I had a fairly good workout last night after dinner. Shall we go and make breakfast?" He nodded and we got out of bed and ventured to the kitchen. If I had my head about me, I probably would have pulled some shorts on, but I walked to the kitchen wearing only Oliver's t-shirt and my knickers. I was making eggs when Stella came into the kitchen.

"Dear, you're going to want some pants," she teased. I blushed heavily and scurried out of the kitchen to fetch some pajama pants. Once I was more fully dressed, I returned to the kitchen.

When I returned, I noticed that Oliver was wearing pants. "When did you put your pajamas on?" I asked.

"While you were in the loo," he answered. "I can't believe you forgot them, but I wasn't going to complain. You have fantastic legs."

"Shut it," I warned, teasingly. "You only 'forgot' to tell me so that you could have a look."

"I don't deny it, love," he joked. He was standing behind me, with his arms around my waist. He kissed my neck as I swatted at him and freed myself. "What are we going to do today?"

"Your Hogwarts letters came," Stella said. "Perhaps we could go to London to get your books. And Bryony has her apparition test at the ministry."

"I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors," Oliver said, encouragingly. "I know you worked hard in the classes. I was paying attention and you were the first to do it."

Once breakfast was over, I ventured to the shower. I stood under the steam for several long moments until I heard Oliver knocking on the door. "Are you quite alright, B?" he asked.

"Yes, Bear, I'm fine," I promised. "I'll be out in a moment." I finished toweling off and dressed in a short lavender sundress. I finally emerged and Oliver groaned before going into the shower muttering something about turning on the cold water. I giggled as I went back to our room to put my pajamas away.

When Oliver returned to the kitchen, we flooed to Diagon Alley to do our shopping before my apparition test. In the Alley, we stopped at the book store, where we ran into my mother. "Dear, it's about time you arrived," my mum said. "I told your father to send you here hours ago."

"Mum, I've been staying with the Woods," I said, confused. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh, yes, of course," she stammered. I didn't believe for a second that she remembered that I hadn't been home for days. "Well, come now. Let's get your books and then we'll go to lunch."

"I have my apparition test at 2:00, Mum," I replied. "I mustn't be late." She agreed and we endured a very awkward couple of hours with Mum. Gladly, Stella was able to help with the ruse that we were still only engaged and ensured my mother that we had separate sleeping quarters.

When lunch ended, Oliver and I took the underground to the Ministry of Magic, leaving our mothers at the Leaky Cauldron. When we arrived, we went to the apparition office and Oliver kissed my head before I entered. "Good luck, ducky," he said.

"Cheers," I replied. Then, I went in. I managed to pass the test, so we apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

When we arrived, we flooed back to Scotland.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The remainder of the summer was spent at Oliver's house. My mother seemed to finally remember that I was at Oliver's and demanded that I return home, but I refused to do it until she apologized to me for the birthday disaster. She said I was behaving very childishly, but I stuck to my guns. Oliver and I did go for tea on the last night before I left for school.

"Do you have everything you need for school, Bryony?" Dad asked.

"I'm fine, Dad," I answered. "I got everything when I went to Diagon Alley."

"I'm sorry about your birthday party," Dad added. "I didn't know that Mum got you a cake with strawberry filling."

"I know," I replied. "She controls every aspect of the party. Please promise me the wedding won't be so horrid."

"You won't be running out on your wedding until it's time to leave," Mum threatened. "I'll make sure of it."

"The wedding will be about us, or I'll make her wait to get married," Oliver chimed in. "That's a promise, Mrs. Martin." Mum looked like she wanted to spit at Oliver for a second, but then something that looked like recognition passed over her face and she acted as though she had heard it before. I made a mental note to ask Oliver about it later.

Amy arrived with her husband not long after that exchange. "So, you decided to grace us with your presence?" she taunted.

"Bugger off, Amy," I warned. "I have no interest in dealing with your shit tonight. If you're going to be a bitch about it, we'll leave."

"Bryony, please don't leave," Dad begged.

Amy was glaring daggers at me and I was seething. Oliver and Jake tried to strike up a conversation to fill the steely silence, but it appeared that they had nothing in common. Jake was entirely too arrogant for his own good and was very self-possessed. He wanted to talk about himself. Oliver was quidditch obsessed and found Jake to be a bore; he gave up on the conversation.

"Would anyone like a drink?" Dad finally offered.

"Scotch," Oliver and I both answered together.

"You're too young to drink," Amy scolded, but Dad overruled her and poured us each a healthy measure of scotch.

"Leave it be, Amy," Dad warned, cutting me off from starting a fight with her. I took my drink, smirking smugly, and walked away.

Amy shot me dirty looks for the rest of the evening; I tried to ignore them, but eventually, I snapped. "What have I done to you, Amy?" I snapped at her.

"I have been nothing but nice to you all evening," she countered; I scoffed. "It's true. I've been trying to be nice all evening. What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," I snarled. "We'll be going." I stood and grabbed Oliver's hand. He bade goodnight to my parents and we went back to his house.

"Is she always like that?" he asked during the walk.

"Pretty much," I answered. "She's been like that to me since I was born and I don't know why. I don't know what I've done to her to deserve it. She was always the golden child and I was the other one."

"I'm sorry, love," he said, pulling me into a tight hug. "At least you won't have to see her for a while since we'll be at school."

"You realize that tonight will be the last night we get to sleep together for a while," I mused. "And don't give me that look. We've talked about when to tell people and we agreed to do it after Christmas. Your parents are one thing since they already knew, but I just want the time to us."

"I wasn't going to argue with you," he promised. "Even if we did tell everyone we eloped, I doubt they'd let us share sleeping quarters. Professor McGonagall would have kittens and rant about the precedent being set."

"Then, I guess we'll have to make the most of the night," I teased. Then, I took off running towards the house.

"How was tea, dear?" Stella asked when I burst in the door, forgetting that Oliver's parents were home.

"It was…enlightening," I answered, breathlessly.

"Why are you out of breath?" Duncan asked.

"I was playing a game with Oliver," I replied, innocently. "We were just racing home."

Duncan and Stella shared a glance as Oliver caught up to me and grabbed my arse. "Keep your hands to yourself, son," Duncan warned.

"Sorry, Dad," Oliver answered. He blushed and we spent a few moments with his parents before returning to our room.

We were snogging quite heavily when I pushed back and paused. "Do you think your parents know what we're up to in here?" I asked.

"I'm sure they know exactly what we're doing," Oliver answered. "Don't worry. They won't interrupt." He went back to sucking on my neck and I had to push him off again. "What is it?"

"I don't want your parents to think that all we do is shag," I whispered.

"Love, they don't think all we do is shag," Oliver said. "They _KNOW_ all we do is shag." I shoved him off of me and rolled my eyes at him. "You realize that it will become decidedly more difficult to shag once we're back at school."

"I know, but I don't want to be the tart that is just using you for sex," I answered. "We should go and spend some time with your parents before we have to leave tomorrow."

"They really aren't offended," he promised. I had sat up and pulled my shirt back on. Oliver sighed.

"What is the sigh for?" I asked.

"What do you think it's for?" he snarled. "We've got a very distinct opportunity here and we're wasting it because you think my parents don't know that we've had sex or will somehow be offended by it."

"I know that they know we've had sex, Oliver," I snapped. "I was there when we had the single most embarrassing conversation of my life. What I don't want is for them to think that it's all we do. I want to take a break."

Oliver didn't respond; he simply grabbed his pajamas and went to leave. I asked where he was going and he snapped, "The shower." Silently, I grabbed my pajamas and changed. Then, while he was still in the shower, I snuck into the spare bedroom to lie down, but I didn't go to sleep. I heard Oliver leave the bathroom and call my name, but I ignored him and tried to get some sleep.

Moments later, I heard him knock on the door. "I know you're in there," he said, softly. "Open the door, please, and let me in so I can apologize to your face." For half a second, I considered ignoring him, but I decided to open the door.

"I'm sorry," he said to my back as I had turned away after opening the door. "You know, this will be easier if you look at me."

"What if I don't want to look at you?" I asked. "You promised that you wouldn't force me to do anything I didn't want to do."

"I know and I wasn't trying to force you," he said, softly. "I was, admittedly, trying to persuade you, but I wouldn't force you."

We stayed in silence for several long moments. Finally I said, "I got scared. I don't want us to be that couple that doesn't do anything outside the bedroom." He sighed, so I added, "I know it doesn't make any sense to you, but lately all we've done is shag or go flying."

"I thought you liked the flying and I haven't had any complaints about the shagging," he said. "If you wanted to do something else, all you had to do was say so."

"It's not just that," I said.

"Then what else is it?" he begged. "Tell me. This isn't like you."

"We forgot the charms," I said. "I got scared because we have forgotten the charms more than once."

"But you're not pregnant," he said. I looked at the floor. "Do you think you might be pregnant?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I'm late, but that's not really anything new this summer." He gave me a confused look, so I continued, "I've been under a lot of stress with my parents and everything else going on."

The last part was meant to be more about the disaster that was my birthday party, but Oliver didn't take it that way. "What do you mean 'everything else going on?'" he demanded.

"I mean the disaster that was my birthday party," I countered. "But right now, you're making me regret other things." I had started to cry and was trying to keep Oliver from noticing. He really could be infuriating.

"Is that so?" he snarled; he was glaring at me. I remained silent. "Fine. I'll leave you for the night then." With that, he left the room and slammed the door. I cried myself to sleep that night.

When I got up the next morning, I went to the kitchen for breakfast. Oliver was sitting at the table, looking sad and a little annoyed; his eyes were red and he looked like he hadn't slept well. "Good morning," he mumbled.

"Good morning," I answered, grabbing some toast and taking a seat across the table from him. I buttered my toast and nibbled at it, but I really had no appetite.

Stella walked in and bade us each a good morning before she picked up on the tension in the room. "All right you two. Out with it. What is going on?" she demanded.

"We had a fight," Oliver answered. I rolled my eyes. He told his parents everything without editing; he would barely consider lying to them about anything.

"And what was the fight about?" she pressed.

"Nothing that matters," I started, but Oliver cut me off.

"We fought about whether or not we should have slept together last night and then about what had her all stressed out all summer," he explained. "And then, she said she was rethinking marrying me."

"That's not what I said," I yelled. "I was annoyed that you would take what I said and turn it into something that it wasn't." I pushed back from the table and stormed out of the kitchen to go and shower. Oliver caught me in the hallway.

"What has you so pissed off now?" he yelled.

"You have absolutely no discretion," I shouted. "Now, let me go or we'll miss the train." I wrestled my arm out of his grip and went into the bathroom, standing under the shower for as long as I dared.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Oliver said when I entered his room to collect my trunk. "I was an insensitive prat and I hurt your feelings."

"Did Mummy tell you to say that?" I asked, anger rising back into my throat.

"No," he said, calmly. "I've been here waiting for you since you went into the bathroom. I really am sorry."

"Thank you for the apology," I replied. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. We've got to go or we'll be late." It was nearing 10:00 and we had to be in London and on the train in an hour. He nodded, we grabbed our bags, and bade goodbye to his parents. Then, we apparated to the platform.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

When we got on the train, we stored our things in an empty compartment and sat down. We had said very little to each other since the night before. He finally asked, "Are we o.k.?"

"We will be," I promised. "I'm still annoyed though. Must you tell your parents everything?"

"I promise to be more discreet," he said. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you." His arm was around my shoulders and I was leaning into him.

"You're forgiven," I replied. "We should kiss and make up."

He smirked and, laughing, said, "I sort of like that idea." He kissed me gently until we heard several people moving through the halls. "Are we telling our friends about eloping?" he asked.

"The more people we tell, the more likely it will get back to my parents. Perhaps we should just tell them nothing," I replied. "I'm sure my friends will ask, but I'm guessing the conversation in your dormitory is somewhat different than the conversation in mine, so you probably won't get asked."

"Too right you are, dear," he answered.

Our friends arrived shortly after that and took up residence in our compartment. We discussed the summer and when my friends asked about whether we had eloped, I didn't have to answer. The dementors provided a distraction when they stopped the train to search for Sirius Black.

When the dementor was outside our compartment, it got very cold and I could hear my mother telling me that I should have been a boy and she was very disappointed in me. I burrowed my head into Oliver's chest and felt his strong arms encircling me. Suddenly, the air felt warmer and it was easier to breathe. Oliver, however, was still holding onto me like he might lose me at any moment.

His grip loosened and he leaned down and kissed me. We kept kissing until someone brought us back to reality. "Sorry," he said, blushing.

The train soon arrived at school and Oliver and I got into a carriage with a few of his teammates, including the Weasley twins. "How was your summer, Wood?" Fred asked.

"Good," Oliver answered. "Yours?"

"Not bad," Fred answered. "We went to Egypt to visit our brother, Bill."

"That sounds like fun," I said. I had rested my head against Oliver's shoulder. Angelina Johnson, one of the chasers, saw a glitter from my ring and commented.

"You lot are engaged?" she asked.

"It was a betrothal," I explained. "Our parents signed a contract for us when we were babies. This was part of my birthday present."

"I didn't know you had such good taste, Wood," she joked. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks," Oliver said. "It's almost as beautiful as she is."

"Who knew Wood was a romantic at heart?" George teased.

"Shut it, Weasley," Oliver warned, "or it will be extra laps next practice."

"When is the first practice?" Fred asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Oliver answered. "Probably next Saturday." I used the quidditch chat as an opportunity to nap while we rode up to the castle.

Upon arrival, I walked into the Great Hall and joined my friends at the Ravenclaw table. As soon as the sorting was done, my friends set upon me.

"So, did you lot do it?" Jemma asked, the second I sat down.

"Do what?" I replied, hoping to avoid the conversation. I didn't want to lie to my friends.

"Did you elope?" Christie asked. "We've been waiting to ask again for hours."

"We thought about it," I said. "We are officially engaged." I showed them my ring, and they both cooed over it.

"It really is amazing," Jemma said. "It's exactly you."

"I know," I answered, beaming. I really loved that ring. "Apparently, my mum tried to talk him into something else, but he insisted on this one, thank Merlin. I love it."

"So, when will your wedding be?" Christie asked.

"August 13, if my mum has started speaking to me again by then," I replied.

"Why isn't your mum speaking to you?" they demanded, in unison.

So, I explained what happened at my birthday party, including leaving with Oliver, staying at his house, and then moving there afterwards. "His parents are really cool," I finished. "They were very supportive and invited me to stay with them for as long as necessary."

When the feast ended we started to head back to Ravenclaw tower, but I ran over to Gryffindor table and grabbed Oliver. "I'm going to miss you tonight," I whispered into his ear.

"I'll miss you too, princess," he answered. He stood and kissed me on the mouth before picking me up and carrying me out of the Great Hall. When he put me down, he had taken us to a secret passageway.

"What's this about?" I asked.

"I wanted the opportunity to kiss you properly," he answered. He grabbed my face, pulling me into him, and kissed me fully.

When we finally broke apart, I checked my watch and noticed that it was very near curfew. "We shouldn't get caught out of bounds on the first night back," I said, not moving my hands from around his neck.

"Probably not," he replied, not moving his arms from around my waist. "It's going to be cold in my bed tonight."

"Your friends are probably getting the beer out now," I teased.

"You're probably right," he laughed. "Alright, princess. We should go. I'll meet you in the morning for breakfast."

"At 7:00," I suggested. He nodded, kissed me one more time and we each returned to our dormitories.

I had a very hard time sleeping. Spending 18 days sharing a bed with Oliver had made it hard for me to sleep alone. By the time 6:00 AM arrived, I felt like I hadn't slept in days. I pulled myself out of bed and trudged down the stairs. Oliver was waiting on the steps outside the Great Hall when I arrived.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked, startling him.

"I slept worse than I did the night before when we were fighting," he answered, groggily. "And you look like you had the same kind of night I did," he stated, looking me over.

"Yup," I sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He took my hand and we sat together quietly for several moments until we heard some people moving around. "We should go eat and get our schedules."

"You first," he joked. I stood and grabbed his hand, pulling him up to go to breakfast.

Our schedules were handed out by our heads of house and Oliver and I both found that we had a free period first thing. "Let's go to the captain's office," Oliver suggested. "We have a double free period and no homework yet. We can take a nap."

"That would be lovely," I replied. We walked down to the captain's office and enlarged the sofa. Then, we fell over and went to sleep.

We woke an hour later to an alarm going off. "That is really annoying," I groaned, trying to hide my head in Oliver's chest.

"It means that we have class right now," he replied. I pushed myself off him and straightened my uniform. Then, I grabbed my bag and headed towards the dungeons for Potions.

Professor Snape set our assignment on the blackboard and we worked, nearly in silence, until we had finished. It was astonishing to some that Oliver and I were able to work so well together without speaking.

We managed to be in classes together for the rest of the day. When classes ended, I took my bag to Ravenclaw tower and met Oliver for dinner. "The annual party is on Saturday," Oliver said as we sat with his friends at Gryffindor table. "I've got the password if you want to go."

"Yeah," I answered. "It should be fun."

Once dinner was over, Oliver and I quickly ran out of excuses to stay in the Great Hall. "We're going to have to leave eventually," he finally said. "Come on. I'll walk you back to Ravenclaw tower."

"Sometimes, I hate that we're in different houses," I said.

"It's not like you won't see me tomorrow," he promised. "And it's not like we would be able to sleep together even if we were in the same house."

"I know, but every once in a while, I curse the hat for choosing Ravenclaw over Gryffindor for me," I replied.

"The hat considered Gryffindor for you?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, but at the time, I wanted to please mum and dad so I asked it to put me in Ravenclaw," I admitted.

"I'll be buggered," he whispered. We had arrived back at Ravenclaw tower. "Good night, princess," he said before kissing me.

The next day went by slowly and I didn't have any classes with Oliver. It scared me a little that my contentment was so wrapped up in whether he was around, but I didn't pay any real mind to it at that moment. That night, Friday, I spent the night with my friends in our dorm.

"Are you lot going to the party tomorrow?" I asked.

"We don't have the password," Christie groaned.

I smirked. "I may happen to know a bloke who can get us the password. It's our last year. We HAVE to go to the party."

"So, then, the wonderful Mr. Wood knows the password?" Jemma teased.

"He does," I laughed. "We're going. Now, we have to pick our argyles. And we have to figure out how I'm going to talk Oliver into an argyle."

"Love, that's never going to happen," Christie offered. "He'd look ridiculous." We spent the next several hours roaring with laughter at new ways to make Oliver look ridiculous. My personal favorite was Jemma's suggestion that I try to talk him into a pink bow tie for our wedding.

"I think he'd skip the entire event if he was forced to wear pink," I joked.

"I'm going to find out," Jemma teased, though I knew she meant it.

The next morning, I met Oliver at breakfast and Jemma and Christie forced him to join us. "So, Oliver," Jemma started, "we were wondering a few things."

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Would you do anything to make Bryony happy?" Christie asked, with a smirk.

"If I could do it, yeah," he answered. "I'd do anything for her. She knows that."

"Would you wear something rather embarrassing?" Jemma continued. I started banging my head against the table.

"Probably," he answered. "I won't go strutting about naked, though. I have to draw the line somewhere."

"So then, you'd wear pink for her?" Christie finished, laughing.

Oliver blushed and laughed, but also nodded. "Don't worry, love," I joked. "I promise not to make you wear pink. My Mum, on the other hand, is an entirely different entity."

After breakfast, Oliver and I went out to the Quidditch pitch for a fly. One of the Weasley twins was kind enough to let me borrow his broom. When we finally landed, it was nearing lunch time. "I didn't know you'd become such a fan of flying," he teased. "Should I worry that you'll try out for Quidditch?"

"Not at all, love," I answered, seriously. "Quidditch is your thing, not mine."

We put the brooms back in the locker room and I started to head out, towards lunch, when Oliver grabbed me around the waist. "Where do you think you're going, Mrs. Wood?" he said, nuzzling my neck.

"I had thought about lunch, but suddenly, I don't seem to feel hungry," I answered, opening my neck to his kisses. We backed into the Captain's office, where we snogged for a while before I finally broke apart from Oliver. "Love, we need to stop," I said.

Oliver groaned, but backed off. "We haven't done it since our fight," he whined. "I think we need to do it and make up properly." So, we stayed in the Captain's office and finished making up.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

When Oliver and I finished making up, I snuggled close to him. "I wish we could sleep here tonight," I mused.

"We can," he offered. "It will be just like last year, but if McGonagall catches us, we can tell her we're married and she won't be able to say anything."

"I like how you think," I teased. "We'll come here after the party."

We got dressed and left the captain's office, returning to our dormitories to get ready for the party. Jemma and Christie were waiting when I got back. "Why didn't you come to lunch?" Jemma asked.

"I was with Oliver," I answered. "We…lost track of time."

"Did this losing track of time involve snogging?" Christie teased.

"Among other things," I joked. "Come on. Let's get some dinner. I'm starving." We went to dinner and ate quickly before returning to Ravenclaw tower to get ready for the party.

Oliver arrived, just as promised, to pick us up. I had worn my favorite pink argyle sweater and a short denim skirt. "Nice legs, babe," Oliver teased, grabbing my hand. "Are you ready?"

"We're ready," I answered as Christie and Jemma joined us with their dates. We followed Oliver to a room on the 7th floor that I'd never been in before. "Where are we?" I asked.

"It's called the Room of Requirement," Oliver answered. "It shows up when there is a real need for it, and changes to accommodate the needs of the individual. So, for a party, it has enlarged itself to hold a rather large group."

When the door opened, the music was blaring. "And, since it's a party, there will be music for dancing?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered. We strode in and went to the bar immediately. Oliver fetched us each a beer and we drank while chatting with Oliver's friends.

I got bored with that rather quickly and joined my friends on the dance floor. "You've got to sing!" Jemma exclaimed, after one too many beers.

"No chance," I said.

"Come on," Christie whined. "Has Oliver ever heard you sing?"

"No and it's going to stay that way for now," I continued. I was afraid that I'd embarrass myself if I tried to sing in front of the crowd. I went back to Oliver and before I knew it, Christie was announcing that I was going to sing; she knew that I wouldn't back out if it had already been announced.

"Brilliant, love," Oliver said. I glared and rolled my eyes at him as I trudged up to the podium.

"I apologize in advance," I said, nervously as I took the microphone. I thought about a song to sing for several moments until someone (one of the Weasley twins, I think) shouted, "Sing Ollie a love song." I wanted to kill him, but I agreed. So, I sang a muggle song, called "To Sir with Love."

When the song ended, Oliver was the first one to find me. He didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled me into a large hug, followed by a very fantastic snog. When we broke apart, he said, "You were brilliant. I had no idea you could sing like that."

I was trying to hide my face in Oliver's chest, but people kept coming over and slapping me on the back. After that, I, finally, got Oliver to dance with me. We stayed at the party for a few more hours, having more to drink than either of us should have, but we had fun in the process. When the party was over, Oliver and I waited in a hallway for several moments, snogging.

"We don't have to go to the Captain's office to sleep together," he suggested. "We could simply use this room and ask it to be a bedroom."

"That would be better than trudging out to the Quidditch pitch, and probably less likely to result in running into a rogue dementor or Professor McGonagall," I replied.

Once we were certain the last of the people had left the party, we asked the room to set up as a bedroom for us. I was astonished when we walked in; there was a very large bed in the center of the room, a fire in the fireplace, and candles burning all around the room. "This is certainly nicer than the sofa in my office," Oliver joked. "Are you knackered?"

"A bit," I answered, yawning. "I forgot pajamas and a toothbrush, though." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, a set of pajamas appeared on the bed and a toothbrush appeared on the bedside table. There were also pajamas and a toothbrush for Oliver. "It's like the room can read my mind," I mused.

"Come on, love, let's get some sleep, and we can meet our friends for breakfast," Oliver offered. I got very nervous about undressing in front of Oliver, however. "You know I've seen it all before," he teased.

"That doesn't make it any less uncomfortable," I said. "I blushed heavily the last time."

"And I told you that there's absolutely no reason to be embarrassed," he promised. "You're beautiful." I sighed and turned my back, but didn't make Oliver avert his eyes while I changed. I had removed my shirt when I thought that a bath might be nice. In the next moment, I looked over and noticed a bath tub full of steaming water.

"Do you want to join me in a bath?" I asked.

"Always," he answered. He undressed and climbed into the tub. Once he was seated, I finished undressing and climbed in with him, sitting in his lap. "What made you think about a bath?" he asked, massaging my shoulders.

"I was all sweaty and gross from the dancing," I answered. "I just wanted to not be gross when I went to bed. If I had gone back to Ravenclaw tower, I would have had a shower before bed."

"Can I ask you something?" Oliver said after a few moments of silence. I nodded. "Were you at my first quidditch game in second year?"

"Yeah," I answered. "You took that nasty bludger hit and were completely unconscious."

"I know we've sort of talked about this before, but I wanted to know something. When I was unconscious, for a while, I dreamed about you, but then I stopped. Did you stop visiting for some reason?" he finished.

I sighed deeply and replied, "It was Elizabeth Johnson. She was hanging about with you, acting like she was your girlfriend and she told me after 4 days that I didn't need to come by anymore. I thought you preferred her to me, so I kept my distance."

"And that's when we stopped hanging out as much," he finished for me. I nodded. "I never liked her and we only went out a couple of times."

"I've heard otherwise," I said. "I don't want to do this now, but I know that she was the one you shagged in fifth year, and I don't care because at the time we weren't talking. And now, I trust you, so it doesn't really matter."

"I'm sorry that I slept with her," he said. "I told you before that I didn't enjoy it and I was really drunk. I think she put something in my drink."

"I told you we don't need to do this now and I don't need explanations," I promised. "Let's get out and go to bed. I'm starting to get cold." I heaved myself out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my body. Then, I grabbed my pajamas and put them on. Oliver climbed out of the tub too, but tried to insist on talking about the entire Elizabeth Johnson thing.

I got sick of his pestering and finally said, "Look, I've told you a few times that I don't want to talk about this. I'm done having this discussion with you. Now, either shut up about it or I'll go back to Ravenclaw tower."

Oliver sighed, but let the subject drop. So, we climbed into bed and went to sleep. I didn't sleep much, and woke up tired and irritable. "What's wrong?" he asked, as we dressed to go to breakfast.

"Nothing is wrong," I protested, but I knew that he didn't believe me. "I didn't sleep well and I'm rather tired."

"I offered to talk about it last night, or rather earlier this morning," he said, sitting back down.

"Look, I appreciate that you're willing to talk about it, but I want to forget about Elizabeth Johnson," I said. "She's a non-entity; but you keep bringing her up and making her an entity."

"Sit down and talk to me," he begged.

"I've told you I don't want to talk about it and right now, I don't want to talk to you," I said, through gritted teeth. Then, I stormed out of the room. I had been hungry when I woke that morning, but I had lost my appetite. Instead of going to breakfast, I went back to Ravenclaw tower and up to my dorm.

"Where were you last night?" Jemma asked when I walked in.

"Oliver and I stayed together," I answered. I sat on the window seat and stared into the grounds. It was a nice day and people were outside, enjoying the good weather.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Christie was out with her boyfriend, snogging by the lake or something and I almost resented her because my _HUSBAND___was being a prat. I hadn't realized I was crying until Jemma handed me a tissue.

"I think I've made a huge mistake," I whispered.

"What happened?" she continued.

"Promise to not tell anyone, and that includes Christie?" I asked. She nodded. "We got married over the summer, the night before my birthday party. After the party, I moved in with his parents because my mother is an inconsiderate dimwit. We had a huge fight the last night home over something stupid and it never really got resolved.

"Last night, we agreed to sleep together because we haven't done since before we came back and we stayed in the Room of Requirement. We took a bath and Oliver asked me about why I had started hating him all those years ago. I made the mistake of telling him about Elizabeth tossing me from the Hospital Wing. Then, he wanted to talk about her."

"Oh, Merlin," Jemma whispered.

"Yeah," I answered. "I begged him to let it go, but he wouldn't until I told him we were going to bed. Then, I didn't really sleep and he wanted to talk about it more this morning."

"What's there to talk about?" Jemma asked. "She's a mindless bint who heaved herself at him and embarrassed herself."

"She also slept with him in fifth year," I offered. "He told me that he had slept with someone, but didn't say who. Elizabeth said something to me when he wasn't paying attention and I confirmed it last night. I was so much happier when I didn't know."

"So, what was your huge mistake?" she pressed.

"I don't think we should have eloped," I replied. "His parents know, but mine don't. I just don't know what to do." I tried to stop crying, but I couldn't.

"We'll figure it out," she promised.

Nearly as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Christie came into the dormitory. "B, what's going on with you and Oliver? He gave me this note for you and told me to ask you to meet him later." I took the offered note and went to leave.

Christie and Jemma tried to stop me, but I begged out. "Sorry, girls, but I think I need to be alone to read this," I said and I left the dorm and walked out of Ravenclaw tower. I didn't really know where I was going, but I ended up in the Charms classroom without thinking. I sat at the teacher's desk and put Oliver's note on it. I stared that note down for several long minutes, trying to decide whether or not to open it.

I was about to get ready to leave when I finally decided that I needed to know what was in that note before I went to lunch. I broke the seal on the back and saw Oliver's boyish scrawling across the page. He wrote:

_Bee,_

_ I know that the whole Elizabeth thing has you more peeved than you're letting on. Please just talk to me about it. I know we can work this out. Meet me in the Astronomy Tower after lunch, please. I love you,_

_ Bear_

When I finished reading the note, I burned it. I didn't want anyone to know what it had said. Then, I went to lunch, trying to decide whether I was going to go to the Astronomy tower to meet him. I also wondered what he would do if I didn't show up; I was sure it would hurt him terribly and I didn't want to hurt him. At the same time, I wasn't sure I was ready to face him yet.

Blindly, I had made my way to the Great Hall for lunch; I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I sat at the Ravenclaw table, alone, and started eating. "So what did the note say?" Jemma asked, plopping down across the table from me.

"He wants me to meet him in the Astronomy tower," I replied. "Before you ask, I haven't decided whether I'm going or not. If I don't go, he'll be hurt, but I'm not sure I'm ready to see him yet."

"Go and talk to him," Christie pled. "He looked horrible earlier."

I had finished eating and was still considering whether or not to go to the Astronomy tower. I wandered around the castle for half an hour, just considering what to do. I ran into Professor Flitwick. "Are you quite alright, dear?" he asked.

"I'm fine, sir," I answered.

"You don't look fine, Miss Martin," he said. "If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, sir, but this time, I'm not sure there's a lot of help anyone can give me," I answered. "And I really must go; I've promised to meet someone and it would be unfair to keep him waiting."

"Then, I'll let you to it," Professor Flitwick squeaked. I didn't want to lie, so I went to the Astronomy tower.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

A/N: The first party of this chapter is going to be a dialogue between Oliver and Bryony. Oliver will be in **bold** and Bryony will be in _italics_.

**"I was wondering if you'd show up."**

_"How did you know it was me?"_

**"I could hear you. You hum when you're nervous."**

_"I wasn't sure I was coming. I don't really want to talk about anything."_

**"We need to talk about it whether you want to or not. Will you just tell me what I have to do? How do I get you to be happy again?"**

_ "I don't know that there's anything you can do, Oliver. I think I have to work this one out on my own."_

**"She really meant nothing to me and I've regretted it ever since."**

_"I told you before that I don't care about that. It's a non-event. Yeah, I would have preferred to be your first, but I wasn't and it wasn't like either of us knew I had any claim to you when you did it. We weren't even speaking, for Merlin's sake."_

**"But you are bothered by it, or something. Don't deny it. I can tell when you're lying. Just tell me what it is."**

_"It's not Elizabeth!"_

**"THEN WHAT? What have I done or not done to set you off? I can't for the life of me figure it out. I thought we were fine until this morning and now you won't even talk to me. Talk or don't, but don't blame me for your mood if you won't."**

There was silence in the Astronomy tower for several long moments. Oliver was about to leave.

_"Don't go. I don't know how to do this."_

** "What?"**

_"I don't know how to do this."_

**"What don't you know how to do?"**

_"I don't know how to be married. I…"_

**"You think we shouldn't have done it. I thought as much, but I never thought you'd actually say it out loud. Bloody hell."**

_"You wanted to know."_

**"I didn't want to believe that was really what was bothering you."**

_"I'm sorry."_

**"Sorry doesn't cut it this time, B. You just told me that you regret marrying me."**

_ "I don't regret it, Ollie-Bear. I'm scared out of my mind and I have no idea what I'm doing."_

** "I'm not your Ollie-bear. Not right now. And you didn't have to say that you regret it. It's in your eyes. I'll just leave you to it."**

Oliver got up and left the Astronomy tower. Bryony sat on the floor and sobbed until it was dark. When she got back to her dormitory, she said nothing before climbing into bed. She ignored her roommates, who sensed that something was terribly wrong…

**Bryony's POV**

After that disastrous meeting in the Astronomy tower, I skived off lessons for a day, not leaving my dormitory. I had a house elf bring me something to eat, though I wasn't hungry. Jemma and Christie pestered me to get me to tell them what had happened, but I wouldn't speak. I hid under my covers until they left me alone.

Nearly a month went by and I had barely spoken to Oliver. I returned to classes, but when I tried to speak to him, he ignored me. I couldn't eat, and I barely slept. He didn't look good, either. His eyes were puffy and he looked exhausted. I had also started to worry that I was pregnant, since we had, yet again, forgotten the charms. One day, I cornered him in his office. "You'll have to talk to me eventually," I said.

"Eventually," he answered, "but not today."

"At least lighten up on your team," I suggested. "It's not their fault that you're angry with me. I'm sorry." I wiped the single tear from my cheek and left him alone. He didn't call me back or follow me, and I was left to assume that he had given up on us. I wandered around aimlessly for hours.

Somehow, I ended up, alone, after dark, in the Charms corridor. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Tim Jeffries sneered.

"Sod off, Tim," I ordered and tried to brush past. He grabbed my arm and pushed me against the wall.

"I don't think so," he snarled. He sniffed at my neck and I turned my head away from him as much as possible.

"Please, Tim, just let me go," I begged.

"I don't think so," he growled. "I want you to know what happens to people who embarrass me." He was tracing my jaw with his finger and I tried to slap him, but he held my hands over my head. He used his free hand to stroke my side and I cried out, begging for him to stop again.

"You just keep your mouth shut like a good little girl and you won't get hurt," he warned. I screamed again and he slapped me in the face, hard, knocking my head against the wall. That hurt, but not as much as when he hexed me. I don't remember what happened next as I passed out, cold.

**Oliver's POV**

I heard the screams and ran toward them. That hat put me in Gryffindor for a reason. I didn't expect to get there and see Tim Jeffries standing over Bryony and punching at her. I didn't even bother drawing my wand. I leapt at him as something primal arose in me and I felt a loathing I had never felt before.

"Get your fucking hands off my wife, you wanker!" I shouted. I punched him in the head and pulled him off of her. He tried to fight back, and managed to punch me once. Then, I punched him hard, and throttled him. I would have killed him if Professor Lupin hadn't come by.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

"He was trying to assault my wife sir," I answered and immediately remembered that Bryony was lying on the floor. I rushed to her side and found she was stirring slightly.

"Ollie," she mumbled.

"Don't talk," I ordered. "I'm taking you to hospital." I picked her up and carried her off, ignoring Professor Lupin's calls from behind me.

I got to the Hospital Wing as fast as I could and laid her down on the nearest bed. I noticed a bruise was already forming on her face and my heart broke a little more. Madame Pomfrey shooed me out of the way and I stayed in the hallway until Professor Lupin arrived with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape.

"Mr. Wood, tell us what has happened?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "And remember, if need be, we will get Veritaserum."

"I heard screaming, sir," I answered. "I didn't know who it was at the time, but I heard a scream. I ran into the Charms corridor and Jeffries was standing over Bryony. She was knocked out and he was punching at her. I should have thrown a stunner at him, but, sir, she's my wife and I couldn't let him hurt her."

"Did you say she's your wife, Wood?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Yes, Professor," I replied. "We got married this summer because we wanted our own wedding, not whatever production her mother is planning. There's nothing illegal in it. We researched it. Sir, please, don't expel me. You can put me in detention for the rest of the year and take away quidditch, but, please, don't take my wife away."

"And what about Mr. Jeffries?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "What do you think I should do with him?"

"He tried to hurt my wife. Let her decide," I said. "But if I get to offer an opinion, he should go to Azkaban."

Madame Pomfrey interrupted us. "She's going to be fine," she promised. "Mr. Wood, you can go and see her now, but she's very weak. I think he might have hexed her a little." I nodded and went into the hospital room.

When we were alone, Madame Pomfrey whispered to me, "I'm sorry, Wood. I couldn't save the baby."

"What baby?" I asked.

"She was about 6 weeks pregnant," the matron said. "I confirmed it only yesterday."

"We haven't been on speaking terms," I said. "Bloody hell."

**Bryony's POV**

"Hey there, love," Oliver said, as he sat next to my bed.

"Hi," I whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't talk right now," Oliver suggested. "Just try to get some sleep."

"Will you stay with me?" I asked, weakly.

"I'm not leaving you," he promised. "Just try to rest." I felt him sit next to me on my bed and put his arm around my shoulder before I fell into an uneasy sleep.

When I woke again, Oliver was still there, dozing slightly. Madame Pomfrey came in, followed by Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Lupin, and Snape. "Miss Martin, or should we say Mrs. Wood?" Professor Dumbledore said.

"I'm sorry, Professor," I said. "We didn't want to cause any trouble."

"You haven't caused any trouble, though Mr. Jeffries and your husband seemed to have a caused a spot of trouble," Dumbledore replied. "I would like to hear from you."

"Oliver and I have been fighting," I said. "We had a small tiff today and I went wandering afterwards. I ended up in the Charms hallway and ran into Jeffries. He pinned me against the wall and tried to kiss me, but I turned my head and screamed. He threatened me that if I screamed, he would hurt me. I screamed again and he cracked my head against a wall. He hexed me, but I don't know what he used. I don't remember anything after that because I passed out. I woke up here."

"Do your parents know about you and Mr. Wood?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Oliver's parents are aware of the situation, but my parents do not know," I replied. "We planned to tell them over the holidays, but if you need to owl them that would be fine."

"I think it is imperative that we invite your parents to see you," Professor Dumbledore said, finally. "It will be your decision on whether or not you tell them about your arrangement. And now, Miss Martin, there is the matter of what to do with Mr. Jeffries."

"Expel him," I begged. "I don't care if he doesn't go to prison, but please, just don't make me stay in school with him. If he stays, I have to leave."

"Professor Snape, will you please instruct Mr. Jeffries that he will meet me in my office as soon as his parents arrive?" Dumbledore ordered. "He will need to pack his things as well. Miss Martin is showing extreme generosity in not asking to have him imprisoned. I'm not quite as generous as she given the situation."

"Certainly, Professor," Snape answered. "Miss Martin, you have my sincerest apologies. Such behavior is not tolerated in Slytherin house."

"Thank you, sir," I said. "Now, I'm very tired. Could I rest for a bit, please? And could Oliver stay with me?"

"There's no way I'm going to leave you," he answered, placing a hand on my shoulder. He crawled back onto my bed with me and let me snuggle into him so that I could go back to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I didn't sleep long and woke to find Oliver watching me. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to get you involved in anything."

"You didn't get me involved in anything," he answered. "I didn't know who I was rushing off to rescue when I first heard the screams. I wasn't going to let anyone be harmed if I could stop it."

"I'm sorry about before," I added. "I never meant that I was sorry for marrying you. I was just scared. And I've really missed you this month."

"It's forgotten, B," he promised. "And while we're at it, I'm sorry for being a stupid prat for the last month. I've missed you too."

"So, then, does this mean you still love me?" I teased.

"Like I could ever stop," he joked. "But truthfully, yes, I still love you. I always have; I always will. Now you should really try to get some sleep." He hesitated and acted like he had more to tell me.

"What aren't you saying?" I asked.

"Madame Pomfrey told me," he stammered. "She said that she couldn't save the baby. I should have spoken to you yesterday when you were in my office. This whole nightmare could have been prevented." I didn't know what to say. Oliver sat quietly with me for what seemed like eternity. I was crying silently and he tried to brush away my tears, but I could feel his tears bouncing off my head.

"Will you read to me?" I asked after several long moments. It had been our tradition since we were small. If one of us was sick, the other would read until we fell asleep. I pulled out my copy of our favorite book (Now We Are Six, by A.A. Milne) and handed it over. I drifted off, listening to Oliver's velvety voice reading the poems in that book that he knew were my favorites.

When I woke next, it was morning and Oliver was sleeping, the book still propped on his chest. I slid it out of his hand and laid it on the table. I was snuggling as close to him as I could get when the door opened and my mother burst into the hospital wing. "What have you done, Bryony Leigh Martin?" she demanded.

"I think your parents know, love," Oliver muttered, rousing from his slumber. "We got married, Mrs. Martin," he said to my mother. "We all know that you would never allow us to have the wedding we wanted, so we got married."

"And why are your parents not here?" she snarled.

"They've known since August, Mum," I answered. "We told them and begged them not to tell you. Don't be mad at Stella and Duncan. Where's Dad?"

"He'll be here in a moment," she replied. "He's with Professor Flitwick to collect your things."

"I'm not leaving school," I said. "I want to finish my N.E.W.T.s."

"You're lucky we're not looking to have your wedding annulled," she snarled. "Your father and I have agreed that we will no longer pay your tuition. You are to come home immediately, or don't come home at all."

"We'll pay her tuition," Oliver said. "She can stay if she wants; it's entirely up to her."

"Then it is as it should be," Mum said. "She's your problem now. Will you also pay for healer training?"

"I'll pay for anything that she wants," Oliver promised. "If she wants to go to healer training, she's welcome to go. If she wants to go to the Arts Academy, she's welcome to go." The last bit he said staring right into my eyes. Mum's nostrils flared and she looked like she was ready to scream when my dad arrived, followed by Professor Flitwick.

"Pumpkin, you're coming home with us," he ordered.

"No, I'm not," I replied. "I'm staying in school and finishing my education. Mum told me you're not going to pay and that's fine. I have another family that will take care of me."

"Why did you elope?" Dad asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. Oliver had vacated his seat to glare at my mother just before Dad came in.

"Because, Dad, everyone in here knows that there was no way that Oliver and I would have been permitted to have the wedding we wanted with Mum running the show. This way, we got some control over everything. You lot can't be mad that we're married. You arranged it when we were babies. Now, live with the consequences of your actions."

"Leona, Bryony can stay in school and we'll keep paying for it," Dad said finally. "And they'll have the wedding they want this summer at our house." I nodded, agreeing to that single condition. Mum seethed, but relented. "You can go dress shopping over Christmas, and congratulations, princess."

"Thanks, Dad," I answered, confused. My Dad had never called me princess, and rarely used pet names for me. My parents left and I looked at Oliver. "What just happened?"

"I wish I knew," he laughed. "I think your father stood up to your mother, though I never thought I'd see the day."

"Did you say something to him over the summer?" I asked.

Oliver blushed and nodded. "The day after your birthday party while you were unpacking and taking a nap, I went over to see your Dad. I told him that he was being an arse and should wake up and be happy with the child he has, not the one that doesn't exist." I leapt at him and kissed him fully. "So, I guess you're not mad about it then."

"Shut up. Could you see if I can leave?" I asked Oliver. He got up and went to fetch Madam Pomfrey to confirm whether I could leave. She came back and released me, especially since it was a Sunday, which meant no classes.

After leaving the Hospital Wing, I took Oliver to Ravenclaw tower. "I don't want you wandering the castle alone," he begged on the way. "The Slytherins might be looking for payback since Jeffries is getting expelled."

"Alright," I answered. "I don't really fancy going through that again." I had fully expected this from him, so I had resigned not to fight about it and, honestly, I was glad to have him back as a fixture at my side.

After stopping by my dormitory, Oliver led us towards the Great Hall. "Do you think everyone knows what happened?" I asked, nervously. I was slightly embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know what Jeffries had tried to do.

"I certainly haven't told anyone," he promised. "I'm sure people know that Jeffries was tossed on his sorry arse, but I don't know if they know why. You did nothing wrong and have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Thanks," I said. "Can I sit with you?"

"I would prefer it if you did," he answered, with a smile. "And if you want, after we eat, we can spend some time together, before I have quidditch training."

"I'd love to," I replied.

We arrived at the Great Hall and I was immediately jeered at by the Slytherin table. I tried to hide my face behind Oliver, but they were taunting him too. Somehow, they blamed us for Jeffries being expelled. Oliver continued to remind me that it was his fault, not mine, that he got kicked out of school. We sat at the Gryffindor table so that Oliver's friends could help protect me from any unwanted glares or gestures. When we finished eating, I asked Oliver to see me back to Ravenclaw tower so that I could shower and change.

"I'll wait in the common room," he promised when we arrived. He took a seat on one of the sofas while I went up to the girls' dormitories.

Nearly as soon as I opened the door, Jemma and Christie set upon me. "Where have you been?" they demanded.

"Hospital wing," I answered. "And before you ask, I really don't want to talk about it. I had a horrible experience yesterday. The good news is that Oliver and I are now fine." I scurried into the shower to avoid their pestering questions. They followed and shouted questions through the shower stalls, which I ignored.

When I emerged from the shower, I went back to the common room to fetch Oliver. He was waiting, as he promised, on the sofa in front of the fire. "Your housemates are really distrustful of Gryffindors," he teased.

"We all think you're here to steal our homework," I joked. "Little do they know that you don't have to steal our homework."

"Shall we go, then?" he asked. I nodded and took his hand.

We walked in silence through the castle, barely speaking until we got outside. The few people we passed were either Gryffindors or Ravenclaws and were not angry with us for any reason. Some of them were actually happy that Jeffries was gone and patted me on the back. "Do you think they know?" I asked.

"Love," Oliver started, "they know that Jeffries is out of school because of something that happened with you, but I'm sure they don't know the details. And unless you told someone else about the other thing, no one knows about that. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I answered. "I want to forget it ever happened. I want to not feel like I need at least 6 more showers to get his stench off of me."

"Let's sit down," he suggested. I was starting to become hysterical. He led us to a secluded spot by the lake and sat next to me. "Take a deep breath and tell me what to do."

"I was so scared," I cried. Since I first woke up, I had not really dealt with what had happened; I had been too busy trying to keep Oliver from getting in trouble and fighting with my parents, and trying to sleep. Oliver put his arm around me and let me cry into his chest. "I really thought he was going to do something horrible. If you hadn't shown up…" I trailed off.

"Shh," he whispered. "It'll be alright. I did show up, and he didn't get to do something really horrible. And now, he's gone. He can't hurt you right now."

"What about his mates?" I asked. "They're going to want retribution."

"I'll be with you as much as I can be," he promised. "Come to the pitch today while I have training. There are always a few Gryffindors in the stands watching. You can stay with them." I nodded. "We have to go to the pitch now. Can you walk or should I carry you?"

"Carry me, please," I answered. He got up and picked me up, carrying me all the way to the pitch. I waited in his office while he changed. Fred and George Weasley popped in and offered to hex any Slytherin that came near me. I thanked them for the offer, but declined, for now.

I sat in the stands with a few Gryffindors, including the twins' younger brother, Ron, and his friend, Hermione. "You and Oliver are together?" Hermione asked.

"We're married," I answered, without thinking. It hadn't occurred to me that the entire school was not yet aware that we were married.

"Really?" she asked. "Are you sure that's allowed?"

"There aren't any rules against it," I answered. "And Professor Dumbledore is aware." I had stopped paying much attention to the younger ones while I watched Oliver's practice. It seemed to take hours before they landed and he came to fetch me.

When Oliver did return, I, again, followed him into his office in the locker rooms. "I've got a team meeting for a bit and then I'm going to have a shower before we head back. Do you want to stay here?" he said. I nodded and waited on the sofa. I started to get cold, so I borrowed a sweatshirt from his locker and curled up on the sofa. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I remember was Oliver shaking my shoulders to wake me up as I was screaming.

"B, wake up," he said. "It's alright. Nobody is going to hurt you now." He stroked my back and held me very tight. "Guys, practice is over." The team had followed him into his office. They, silently, left.

"I'm sorry," I sniffed. I didn't realize I had been crying too.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he promised. "You'll get through this. I promise and then, we'll start planning what we'll do after graduation."

"We have to survive this year, though," I replied. "Hit the showers."

"You'll be alright here?" he asked. I nodded and assured him that I would be fine while he got showered and changed. When he returned, we slowly walked back to the Great Hall for dinner.

We ate at the Ravenclaw table. Christie acted annoyed with me. "Have I done something?" I asked.

"You lied to us about getting married," she snapped. "And I can't believe that Jemma is not angry with you right now." Then, she ignored me for the rest of the meal. Oliver tried to take the blame, telling her that it was his idea not to tell anyone. "That's bollocks, Oliver!" she shouted. "I know that if Bryony had wanted to tell us, she would have." I quickly became uncomfortable sitting with my own house, so I finished eating and got up to leave.

When dinner was over, Oliver insisted on seeing me back to Ravenclaw tower, even though my friends promised to get me back safely. We stood outside the doorway for a few moments. "Will you be alright tonight?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," I promised, stroking his face. "Don't worry your pretty face about me."

"I wish I could be with you for the night, just to be sure," he said. "I'll see you in the morning." He kissed my forehead and let me go back to my dorm.

I showered, again, and crawled into bed. I woke up a few hours after I went to bed, in a cold sweat. Jemma asked if I was alright, and I answered, to the dark, "I'm fine. Just a nightmare." I lay back down, but was unable to get back to sleep.

Oliver noticed that I looked tired the next morning at breakfast. I explained that I just had a nightmare and he suggested getting a dreamless sleep draught from Madame Pomfrey. I didn't want to take it if I didn't have to, so I declined for the moment. I also agreed that if I didn't start sleeping better soon, I would go to her.

By the end of the week, I had barely slept. It was so bad that on Friday, I fell asleep leaning on Oliver in Transfiguration. "Mr. Wood, Miss Martin," Professor McGonagall called at the end of class. "Would you care to explain why you were sleeping in my class, Miss Martin?"

"I'm sorry Professor," I replied. "I've been having a little trouble sleeping and I don't want to need a dreamless sleep draught to sleep."

"Have you been aware of this, Mr. Wood?" she asked, her lips forming a straight line.

"I have," he answered. "It might help if we're allowed to share sleeping quarters, Professor. Bryony won't feel like she's alone and I can help calm her down if she has a nightmare."

"You both have a free period after lunch," Professor McGonagall said. "Meet me here." We agreed and left for our next class.

After lunch, we returned to Professor McGonagall's classroom. She told us to follow her, so we did. "I have spoken with Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick," she said. "You will now have quarters here." She led us to a painting and opened the door behind it. We were being granted our own quarters, which we would share.

"Thank you, Professor," I said. "If I may ask, why did you agree to this?"

"Because, Miss Martin, you didn't use your marriage to try to get to share quarters," she answered. "You've shown a lot of maturity."

"It's Mrs. Wood, Professor," I said, smiling when she left us alone.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Oliver and I found that our belongings had been moved to our new quarters by the house elves while we were in our classes that day. After our last class, we ate dinner at the Gryffindor table. "No classes tomorrow," Oliver said.

"You have quidditch training," I stated. "I'll be there to watch and I'm sure you'll be brilliant."

We spent several hours working on homework before I declared it was time for bed. "I'm completely knackered and you've got quidditch tomorrow," I reasoned. "Let's go to bed. It'll be nice having your arms again."

"It'll be nice having your cold feet again," he teased. "Come on." We quickly changed into our pajamas and climbed into bed. "Did you ever, in a hundred years, think they would let us room together?"

"Not unless we had a baby to look after," I said. "And then, it would have only been as a last resort. I'm glad that they let this happen."

"I am too," he whispered, kissing my temple. "Sleep well, my love."

I woke, again, to Oliver shaking my shoulder and assuring me that everything was fine. "I had rather hoped that would stop by now," I said, through tears. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he promised. "Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head and laid back against Oliver's chest, letting him hold me tightly. He gently rubbed my back and I drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, Oliver and I got up early and went to breakfast. We sat at the Gryffindor table since Christie still wasn't really on speaking terms with me. The loss of my 2 best friends was starting to take its toll on me and I was beginning to resent Christie's insistence that I should have told her sooner. I was, however, becoming friends with the seventh year Gryffindor girls, Mary and Jen. I sat with them during the quidditch practice.

Over the next few weeks, my nightmares lessened and eventually disappeared. I thought it had at least something to do with Oliver's presence in my bed. "So," I said on the day before Halloween, "I thought we could maybe try shagging again."

"Only if you're sure," he answered. "I won't force you to do anything and you know that."

"Oliver," I teased, "take me to bed." He agreed and kissed me in the hallway outside our suite. I fumbled to open the door as quickly as possible. Oliver kissed my mouth, then moved to my jaw and up to nibble on my ear lobe, causing me to burst into fits of giggles.

"Like that, do you?" he teased. "Perhaps I should do some more." His breath on my neck tickled me even more and he resumed kissing and nibbling at my ear lobe. I ran my hands through his hair and kissed his neck while he backed me up to our bed.

Oliver stopped us for a moment and asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"More than ever," I promised. I raised my arms and let him remove my shirt; he tossed it across the room, repeating the same behavior with his own shirt. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too, B," he answered, returning to kiss my shoulder. I lay us down on the bed and let Oliver's hands roam all over my body. He was careful to slow things down the very second he thought I was getting nervous, but I was insistent and we made love, slowly.

The next morning, Oliver woke early. I had spent the day with Oliver and the Gryffindors again, since Christie still wasn't speaking to me and Jemma was still trying to talk her down. We spent the day in Hogsmeade and came back for the Halloween feast. After the feast, we went back to Gryffindor tower for a party. Unfortunately, the party never happened. When we arrived, we found that the Fat Lady had disappeared after being attacked by Sirius Black.

We spent the night in the Great Hall, finding our own corner to set up our sleeping bags. Oliver surrounded us with his fellow Gryffindors in case any Slytherins had any ideas about getting pay back. They managed to behave themselves for the night, though I still woke panting and in a cold sweat. Oliver calmed me enough that I was able to go back to sleep, and assured me that I didn't scream enough to wake anyone around us.

The next weekend was the first quidditch match of the season. It was supposed to be between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but the Slytherin team begged out of playing and Gryffindor had to take on Hufflepuff. The match ended with a Hufflepuff win because some dementors came onto the pitch during the game. I had never seen Professor Dumbledore angrier than during the moment immediately after he saw to Harry Potter's safety. While the rest of the team went to the Hospital Wing to see to Potter, Oliver went to the locker rooms. For what seemed like a long time, he didn't emerge. So, I went into the locker rooms to find him. He was in his office.

"Bear?" I called. He was sitting at his desk, with his head in his hands. "You can still win the cup," I promised.

"Don't care about the cup," he mumbled. "Harry could have died and it would have been my fault."

"It wasn't your fault," I promised.

"I couldn't protect Harry and I couldn't protect you or the baby." I looked at his face and noticed that it was tear-streaked. I had never really seen him cry since we were very small.

"What happened to Harry and what happened to me, they weren't your fault," I promised. I knelt in front of him and put my hand on his cheek. "You couldn't have done anything to prevent either event." Oliver slid out of his chair and joined me on the floor. I held his head as he sobbed against me, even allowing myself to cry a little with him.

"Thanks," he sniffed, when he had settled a little. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine, Bear," I promised. "Now, get yourself cleaned up and go see to your seeker. I've heard that he's fine." Oliver got up and went to the showers while I waited in the office. When he returned, we went to the Hospital Wing to check in on Harry. Madame Pomfrey pulled me aside.

"Miss Martin," she said, "I wanted to check in and see that you're alright after everything."

"I'm fine," I promised. "Oliver's been very supportive."

"You should give your body time to heal before you start thinking about trying for a baby," she warned. I was confused since Oliver and I had never actually tried to have a baby.

"We aren't trying and we never have tried to have a baby," I replied. "We are taking precautions to avoid such things for the near future."

"That's all I wanted to know, dear," she said, with a smile.

I returned to Oliver, who was still apologizing to Harry for nearly getting him killed. Harry replied, "Really, Wood, I'm fine and nearly getting killed is just another day for me."

"Come on, Bear," I said, dragging him away. "Take me to dinner." Reluctantly, Oliver joined me in going to dinner.

After dinner was over, Oliver and I were walking back to our suite when Christie found us. "I wanted to apologize for being such a prat," she said. "I know that not telling us wasn't your way of being malicious or anything."

"I'll just give you lot a minute," Oliver said, kissing my temple and heading into our suite.

"Thanks, Christie," I said to her. "I've missed you. Do you want to come inside?"

"Yeah," she answered. I led her into the sitting room in our suite and Oliver produced tea for us. We visited for over an hour before Christie declared it was time for her to go back to Ravenclaw tower. "Do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"I'd love to," I answered. "I'll see you at breakfast." She nodded and headed out. Oliver had been waiting in the bedroom. "Did you do something to help with that?" I asked.

"Maybe," he replied, coyly. "Would I be in trouble if I did?"

"It would be the opposite of that," I promised.

"In that case, I had something to do with that," he said, smirking. "I know you've been missing your friends and I know that you need them, sometimes, more than me. I wanted to do something nice for you."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me. Now, we're alone, it's Saturday night. What will we do with the time?"

"How does a bath sound?" Oliver suggested.

"Lovely. Go and start the water," I ordered. While he was drawing our bath, in our private bathroom, I got the bed ready for when we would return. I heard him calling me from the tub and went into the bathroom to find him already in the water.

"I'll avert my eyes if you like," he promised.

"I think I'll survive if you don't," I replied. I undressed and climbed into the tub with Oliver. We soaked for a long time, until the water got cold. When we finally got out of the water, I pulled on my robe and went back to our bedroom; Oliver followed.

"I've been wanting to ask you something," he said, with a hint of trepidation in his voice. "I was wondering whether you had heard from Edinburgh yet."

"No," I replied. "I'll let you know when I hear. But that's not all you wanted. What else?"

Oliver was very nervous and he finally blurted, "I got a letter from your dad."

"And?" I asked.

"He's taking back what he promised when your parents were here, about the wedding," he said. "And your Mum expects you to be at their house over Christmas, but I'm not permitted to stay."

I didn't say anything; I simply started to cry. I didn't know my parents could be so callous, but apparently, they cared more about the image that they wanted presented than my happiness. "What else did he say?" I asked finally.

"That Amy and Jake are expecting a baby and you're going to be happy for them. You should read the letter," he said, handing over the parchment. I read my dad's letter and, by the time I finished, I was in tears all over again. My dad reminded us that we were expected to have a baby and that my behavior would not be tolerated.

"I'm not going home," I said, finally.

"Of course not," Oliver replied. "You're coming to my parents' house and they're very excited about that. Or, we'll stay here and shag all over the castle since almost everyone will be home."

"Can we just go to bed now?" I asked. He nodded, but before we climbed into bed, he hugged me tightly.

The next few weeks seemed to fly by. Oliver and I spent a day in Hogsmeade doing our Christmas shopping. My father had written me, again, demanding that I come home, alone, for the Christmas holidays. I wrote back that I was spending the holidays with my husband and his family.

I also heard from the Arts Academy in Edinburgh that I had been accepted. Oliver bought me flowers. Then, I read the materials about my first year and I would be required to live on campus without Oliver. I started to reconsider enrolling in the program; Oliver promised to support whatever decision I made. I would have to contact the school by April to reserve my place if I chose to go.

"You have some time to think about it," Oliver pointed out. "We can make a decision later. For now, let's just enjoy that you got accepted." I agreed and we tabled the discussion for a few weeks.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

When the Christmas holidays arrived, Oliver and I took the train back to King's Cross before we apparated to his parents' home. Stella and Duncan welcomed us with fierce hugs. "You look too thin, dear," Stella scolded me.

"I've been telling her the same thing," Oliver teased.

"And you've seen me eat," I countered. "Have you heard anything from my parents?"

"They're not really speaking to us since the whole thing in October," Duncan answered. "I think your mother was angrier than I've ever seen her, dear. Come on. Dinner is just about ready."

"Thank you," I said. I took my bag to our room, trying to fight the tears. I had hoped that my mother would thaw a little, but it was too much to hope for. I didn't know that Oliver had followed me until I heard him from the doorway.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine," I answered. "I had hoped she'd come around. I could really use her."

"She'll get there," he promised, squeezing my shoulders. "My parents don't know much about what happened in October. I couldn't write it in a letter, but if you need a mum, you have my mum."

"Thanks," I sniffed. "We should get down for dinner." I wiped the tears off my face and led Oliver to the dining room.

Dinner was a subdued affair. Stella and Duncan seemed to sense that all was not well, in spite of my protests, but they didn't pester us with questions. After dinner was over, we spent some time in the sitting room. Oliver didn't offer anything about what was going on until we were alone in our room. "What can I do for you?" he asked. "You haven't smiled in a few days. What is it?"

"It's everything," I said. "Jeffries, and school in Edinburgh, and I just don't know what to make of any of it." I paused and added, "I know that you're fumbling around with it too and none of it is your fault."

"Let's get some sleep," he suggested. "We can work things out later. We don't have to have answers right now." I nodded and changed into my pajamas before climbing into bed with Oliver.

The next morning, I woke early and climbed out of bed, not wanting to wake Oliver. I wandered down to the kitchen to make toast for breakfast and ran into Stella. "Did you sleep well, dear?" she asked.

"Alright, I guess," I answered. I was still very sad about losing the baby and my parents in one fell swoop.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" she pressed. I shook my head and concentrated on my toast until Oliver came in.

"Morning, love," he said, kissing my head. "Sleep well?"

"Fine," I replied, staring at the crumbs on my plate. Oliver didn't say anything; he pulled me into a giant hug and held on until his father cleared his throat from the doorway.

"Alright, you lot, out with it," Duncan ordered. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

Oliver looked at me and I gave him a slight nod before he answered. "B's parents, obviously, know that we're married. It happened because she was attacked by an arse-hole and I let it slip that we were married. Professor Dumbledore forced us to write to them since they didn't know yet. We didn't want to put it in a letter to you what happened."

"That's not everything," I added. "When I was attacked, I had just found out we were expecting a baby. I was hexed, fairly brutally, in the stomach and the baby didn't survive." We were both fighting tears at that.

"I'm so sorry, dear," Stella said, pulling me into a hug of her own. I sobbed against her shoulder while she patted my back. "Do your parents know about everything?"

"They know about the attack, which was somehow my fault," I answered. "They don't know about the baby. They would have used it as an excuse to keep us apart."

There was a knock on the door, which brought us all back to the present. Duncan went to answer and came back, followed by my sister. "Mum and Dad want you to come home," she ordered.

"I am home," I replied. "This is more of a home to me. I heard that congratulations are in order. I hope that everything works out for you."

"Come on, Bryony," Amy repeated. "Mum and Dad are expecting you home in 20 minutes. You best hurry to shower and get dressed. You look frightening."

"Amy, get out of my house," Oliver ordered. "Bryony's not going anywhere she doesn't want to. If your parents want to see her, they can come here." Oliver had backed her to the door. He reached around her and opened it to show her out, but she refused to leave.

"This has gone on long enough," she snarled. "This sham marriage that you talked her into couldn't be legal and Jake is looking into whether charges can be pressed against you. Bryony is coming home with me."

"I am not coming home with you," I stated, firmly. "I'm staying here. And the marriage isn't a sham; it's perfectly legal. Oliver and I researched it while we were at school last year. Mum and Dad arranged for this; they can live with the consequences of their behavior. Tell Mum we're not coming to the wedding she's planning."

"You seem to think you can get whatever you want, Bryony," Amy said. "You'll find out very soon that you can't have everything."

"I don't want everything," I replied. "I only want to be happy. Healer training and the event that Mum is planning won't make me happy. Oliver knows that. Now, get the bloody hell out of our house before your husband has to arrest you for trespassing." Amy left and I went up to our room to sulk. Oliver followed.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"No," I whispered before breaking down into new sobs. He held me tight and promised that he would make sure everything worked out. For a brief second I heard the door open and felt Oliver wave someone off. "Who was that?"

"Mum and Dad were checking on you," he answered. "They want to make sure that you'll be o.k."

"Do you know what really sucks about all this?" I asked. "They make me feel like this is entirely my fault. I was beaten and attacked viciously and I must have done something to provoke it. I did something to make me happy for once and they act like I've killed the cat."

"They don't deserve you," Oliver said, trying to soothe me. "They should be begging you to forgive them, not demanding that you return immediately."

"Are they coming to the party tonight?" I asked. It was the Woods' annual Christmas party that evening.

"I don't really know," he answered. "Mum and Dad seem to think they will, but only for appearances. I'll keep them off your back."

"Thanks," I replied. "Now, you skipped breakfast and I need a shower. So go eat and I'll be fine."

"You're sure?" he asked. I nodded.

I went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water, standing in the steam for as long as I dared. By the time I got out of the shower, Oliver had returned to our room. "I was beginning to think you were drowning yourself in the shower," he teased.

"And deprive you of the opportunity to see me in naught but my knickers," I joked. "Never." He laughed, but I dropped the towel that had been wrapped around me to reveal a set of very tiny knickers. "This is because you were such a good boy earlier."

"You realize you're killing me, right?" he laughed. "Seriously, Mum and Dad are waiting downstairs for us and I've got to hit the showers. But, keep those knickers on and I'll be sure to enjoy them later." He kissed my head and rushed off to the bathroom for a quick shower while I got dressed.

When we returned downstairs, Stella and Duncan insisted that neither of us had done anything wrong. "Are you lot set for the party tonight?" Stella asked. She was concerned about our wardrobes, but I had made sure that we had appropriate attire since the event was formal.

"We're fine," I promised. "I knew it would be formal, so I packed for the occasion, for both of us."

"That's all I needed to know," Stella said. Then, she added, "Are you alright after earlier?"

"I'm fine," I replied. "Thank you for the concern, though. I appreciate that you're willing to act as my mother, Stella."

"Dear, it's time you just started calling me Mum," she answered. I nodded and went to find Oliver, who was with his dad. Duncan also insisted that I call him Dad, rather than Duncan.

B y the time the party started, I was dreading going back downstairs. Oliver came back to our room, dressed in his kilt and dinner jacket, and said, "You don't have to go if you don't want to. Of course, if we skip, I won't get to show everyone else there how lucky I am."

"And why do you think you're lucky?" I asked.

"You look beautiful," he answered. I was wearing a black dress that was strapless. I had pulled my hair into a messy bun and given myself a smoky eye with my make-up. "In fact, I think we should go, spend a few minutes with my parents' friends, and then come back here so I can show you just how beautiful you are."

"I know I offered earlier, but I'm not sure we should tonight," I replied.

"Love, you know I'll never force you to do anything you don't want to," he promised. "Remember that while we're in the shark tank tonight." I smiled and let him lead me to the party.

My parents were at the door when Oliver and I came down the stairs. They tried to act like nothing was going on, but I refused to speak to them. I got separated from Oliver for a few minutes and that was when my mother swooped in. "You were supposed to come home with Amy earlier," she sneered.

"And I told her to tell you I wasn't coming," I answered. "This is my home, now, and this is my family. Just bugger off and leave me alone."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bryony," Mum scoffed. "When are you going to grow up and be reasonable? I've scheduled a shopping trip for us next Tuesday. You are expected to come with me so that we can finalize plans for your wedding." My Mum stormed off and I went to find a corner to hide in.

Oliver found me, sitting behind a drapery, and sobbing. "What happened? I've only been gone for 5 minutes," he said.

"Mum," I whispered, before succumbing to another fit of sobs. "She seems to think that we're going shopping next Tuesday and that I'm ridiculous and unreasonable."

"Want to get out of here?" he offered. I nodded and took his outstretched hand. He took me to our bedroom and then apparated us to an alley in Edinburgh. "I thought you might want something to eat."

"Do you have any money on you?" I asked. He nodded and informed me that he had both muggle and wizard money with him. "Let's get something sweet."

We walked to a muggle diner not far from where we landed and sat down in a booth. We ordered coffees and a large slice of cake to share. When we finished, we returned to the house and snuck back to our room. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," I answered. "Could you help with the zipper?" He unzipped my dress and kissed at my neck. "Christmas is tomorrow."

"I know," he murmured, still sucking on my neck.

"We should get to bed," I said, pulling out of his grasp. He simply nodded and pulled out his pajamas and got ready for bed. We climbed under the covers and snuggled up together to drift off to sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I woke the next morning to Oliver shaking my shoulder. "Come on, love," he shouted. "It's Christmas." If I wasn't so tired, his enthusiasm would have been rather adorable. As it was, however, I was slightly irritable.

"Some of us are sleeping," I grumbled.

"Yes, but we've got presents," he said, cheerily. "It even looks like there are some from your parents."

I sat up, grudgingly, and promptly got tackled by Oliver kissing every inch of my face. "Happy Christmas to you, too, love," I laughed.

"Alright, now that that's done, it's time for presents," he joked. He pulled a stack of presents and handed them to me. "These are yours."

"All of them?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied. "Mine are over here." He pointed to another stack of presents, piled on the other side of our bed. "Now, ladies go first. It's house rules."

"So, you can't open any of your presents until I'm done with mine?" I asked. He nodded. I teased him for a few seconds, opening the first present on the top of the pile painfully slowly. It was a small box from Oliver and I heard him groan in frustration. "Am I keeping you from something?" I teased.

"Not at all, my love," he answered, with a small chuckle. I finished opening the present and found the prettiest necklace I had ever seen. It was a delicate silver chain with a small diamond pendant. I leapt at Oliver and kissed him fully. We forgot our presents for several moments of heated snogging.

"Alright," I said, finally pushing him off me, "it's your turn, but could you give me my shirt back, please?"

"I rather enjoy the idea of opening presents in our current state of undress," he teased. I glared and refused to move until he handed me a shirt (which turned out to be his shirt). Then, I made him put my necklace on me before I moved on to other presents.

When I finished, I waited while Oliver opened his presents. I had hidden mine in the stack, so it took him some time to find it. He pulled the package off the pile and opened the box, to find another box. He opened that box, and found an envelope. When he, finally, opened the envelope, he squealed like a child. "You got me tickets to the World Cup?" he asked.

"To the finals," I answered. "On the condition that you take me with you, of course."

"Who else would I take?" he joked. "This, seriously, is the best present I've ever gotten. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome," I answered. Then, he leapt at me and kissed me all over, again removing the shirt I was wearing. It took us another hour before we went downstairs to join his parents for breakfast.

"Happy Christmas, Mum and Dad," I said. "Thank you for the gifts."

"You're welcome, dear," Stella answered. "What took you so long?"

"I was torturing Oliver by sleeping in and opening my presents slowly," I answered, laughing. Stella smiled, but gave me a look that suggested that she didn't believe for a second that we were only opening presents. She was, naturally, correct.

Three days later, my mother arrived at the house to pick me up to go shopping. Stella agreed to come along as an intermediary. I had been dreading this trip since my mother told me about it at the Christmas party.

We left just after breakfast. I kissed Oliver's cheek and promised to try to have a good time. We apparated to Edinburgh and went to the same bridal shop we had visited over the summer. "You're still insisting on a big wedding, Mum?" I asked.

"Well, of course, dear," she replied. "We've already ordered the invitations. Don't worry; they're simply white and gold with blue lettering. Your father reminded me that you want to keep things simple, so I'm working on it."

"Thanks, Mum," I said. "What about the dress?"

"I thought you could try some on today," she answered. I exchanged a surprised look with Stella. Mum strode into the shop and informed the shop keeper that we had an appointment. I was led to a dressing room by a girl called Sara. There were several dresses laid out for me to try on. Some of them were very much my mother's style, but many of them were my style.

The first dress I tried on was one my mother had chosen and it was definitely not me. I went out to show my mum and Stella and, surprisingly, my mother told me to go back and change. "That is horrible on you, dear," she said. I agreed and trotted back to the changing room for the next dress.

After an hour, I tried on the dress that we chose. It was a very simple dress in ivory chiffon with a very small, light pink band around the empire waist. There was a puddle train and a very mild lace detail down the back. I stepped out of the dressing room and my mother said, "That's the one, dear."

"I know," I answered. "I want this one."

"Then you shall have it," Mum answered.

I was completely astonished and said, "Mum, what is going on with you?"

"Spending a holiday without you at home has mellowed me, Bryony," she answered. "It made me realize that you deserve to be happy and I should never have sent Amy to fetch you the other day." I nearly passed out, but decided to go with it.

After we left the dress shop, we went for lunch at a nearby café and finished working on as many wedding plans as we could. "Bryony, we're hoping you and Oliver will join us for New Year's Eve," Mum said as we were leaving.

"I'll talk to him, but I'm sure we'll be there, Mum," I answered. Stella nodded behind her. She left and returned to my house.

"How was the shopping?" Oliver asked when I flopped onto our bed.

"Surprisingly good," I answered. "She let me choose my own dress and they've invited us for New Year's Eve. I want to go."

"Then, we'll go," he promised, lying next to me. He rolled over and started kissing me and tickling my sides. His hand was under my shirt when we heard a knock on the door. Stella was calling us for dinner.

After dinner, we stayed in the sitting room for a while before retiring to our room to finish what we had started earlier. We fell asleep, naked, and were awakened the next morning by a screech. "AUNTIE STELLA! UNCLE DUNCAN! OLIVER'S GOT A GIRL IN HIS BED!" shouted the child I didn't know.

"Fiona, keep it down," Oliver grumbled.

"Who is this?" I asked, groggily. It was very early and Oliver and I had stayed up late.

"This is my cousin, Fiona," he answered. While we were having this conversation, Fiona was still screaming, which prompted Stella and Duncan, and Oliver's Aunt Becky to come running into the room.

"What is going on?" Stella asked, breathlessly. "Oh, for the love of Merlin, Oliver, put some clothes on."

"We will, just as soon as you all leave," he replied. He glared at the group in the doorway until they all left, including a protesting Fiona.

"Have I met Fiona before?" I asked.

"She was at my birthday party this past summer, but I don't think you had a lot of contact with her," he answered. "Don't forget pants."

"Cheers," I said, grabbing a pair of pajama bottoms and pulling them on. "I'll meet you downstairs." I went to the toilet and threw up rather unexpectedly. Then, I went down to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Are you quite alright, dear?" Stella asked.

"I'll be alright," I promised. "Perhaps, though, I should just stick to toast for breakfast." Oliver handed me a small plate with some toast and a cup of tea. "Cheers, love."

"Since you haven't been formally introduced, Bryony, this is my Aunt Becky and my cousin Fiona," he said. "And this is my wife, Bryony." Oliver's aunt nearly fell out of her chair when he introduced me as his wife and Fiona got a dark look on her face.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, offering a hand to Aunt Becky and, then, to Fiona.

"When did you get married, Ollie?" asked Aunt Becky.

"August," he answered. "We're having a wedding this August on our anniversary. I think the invitations will go out soon. I'm sure that you'll be on the list." I nodded in agreement, but made a quick decision.

"Fiona, would you like to be in the wedding?" I asked.

The child, who was 6 years old, nodded and said, "But only if I get to wear a pretty dress."

"Of course you'll get to wear a pretty dress," I replied. "You can pick out whatever dress you like, but I would love if it were pink."

"Ollie, will you take me flying?" she asked, looking hopefully at Oliver. I nodded behind her before Oliver agreed.

"Give me a few minutes to get dressed, alright?" he suggested. He requested that I follow him out of the kitchen. "You don't mind?"

"Of course not," I answered. "I'm not feeling up to doing much other than going back to bed, quite honestly. Take her flying; just be careful."

"I always am, love," he promised. He kissed my head as I crawled back into bed to try to settle my stomach. By the time he returned 2 hours later, I was feeling moderately better. Oliver came into our room to check on me. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"A bit," I answered. "Though, I'm terribly cold."

"I'll see what I can do about that," he said, climbing into our bed with me for a nap. We curled up together and went to sleep until Stella called us for lunch.

We spent the rest of the day in the sitting room with Oliver's family. After dinner, I started feeling ill again and went to lie down. I was asleep before Oliver joined me, but I woke to find him curled around me and bolted for the toilet.

"When did you start feeling sick?" Oliver asked from the doorway.

"When your cousin woke us up," I replied. "I felt fine when we went to bed, obviously. If I was sick, I wouldn't have let you shag me."

"I assumed as much," he said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No," I whined. I was sitting on the floor in the bathroom and he sat next to me, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. "Will you carry me back to bed?"

"Yup." He stood up, helped me to my feet, and then carried me back to our bed.

The next morning, I again woke suddenly and bolted for the toilet. Again, Oliver followed, holding my hair back while I vomited spectacularly. "Love, do you have any idea what's wrong?" he asked.

"No," I rasped. My throat was scratchy from throwing up.

"You should see a healer today," he suggested, though it was more of an order. I agreed, only because I knew that he would nag me all day if I didn't go to see someone. He asked his mother if the local healer was still around and she asked him to come over.

"How long have you been sick?" he asked, certain that we were alone.

"I woke up feeling ill yesterday morning," I answered. "I felt a little better in the afternoon, but sick again after dinner."

"When did you last eat?"

"I tried some toast this morning at breakfast, but I couldn't keep it down," I replied.

"Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" he asked.

"I'm married and we have sex, but I don't think I'm pregnant," I replied. He decided to do a revealing charm anyways. Thankfully, the test came back negative and I breathed a sigh of relief. He declared that it was simply the stomach flu and gave me a potion to fight the nausea.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N**: This is for twilightaddict98, who deserves another chapter. I'm updating with 2 today

Chapter 25

By the time New Year's Eve rolled around, I was feeling better. My Mum had stopped by to tell us that they would like us to be at the house by mid-afternoon. "We'll be having a family tea at 3 and the party will be at 8," she said.

"We'll be there for tea," I promised. So, at 1:00 on New Year's Eve afternoon, Oliver and I apparated to my parents' front door. Amy was home and being snotty again, but my mother (shocking!) told her to cut it out. Oliver and I exchanged a look.

After tea, Oliver and I were escorted to my old room, where we were left to get ready for the party. "What happened downstairs?" he joked.

"I have no idea, but I'm beginning to think my mother has had something strange in her tea," I laughed. Then, we looked at the clothes my mother had laid out. "Well, at least we know she hasn't lost her sense of style." She had chosen a dress for me in a vile shade of bright pink. The dress had a tiered skirt and a very large rosette on the shoulder.

"That really is horrible, but I'm sure you'll pull it off," Oliver teased.

"Just for that, you'll get no further than kissing tonight," I said, slightly maliciously. I was having a little fun in teasing Oliver, who pouted. "Really, I'm just getting over a nasty stomach bug. We weren't going to be doing anything more than snogging anyways."

"I know," he sighed. "I was just hopeful."

"Don't worry," I promised. "You'll get into my pants sometime, maybe even before we go back." Satisfied, Oliver lay down on the bed to rest for a while before getting dressed for the party. I went to shower and do my hair while he napped. After an hour, I woke him up and forced him into his kilt and dinner jacket.

By 8:00, we were standing with my parents in the entrance hall and greeting guests. I received more than a few congratulations on my engagement and learned that my mother had not told anyone that we were already married. Oliver and I were both fine with that arrangement and simply smiled and thanked them all.

At midnight, Oliver kissed me for a long time, until my mother smacked him on the back of the head. "Happy New Year, princess," he whispered.

"Happy New Year to you, my love," I answered.

We spent the night at my parents' house, but returned to Oliver's house for the last night before we returned to school.

On the day after New Year's, we apparated to London to catch the train back to school. On the way, we shared a compartment with Fred and George Weasley. They entertained us for nearly the entire train ride back to Hogsmeade.

Classes resumed the next day and we were, again, given piles of homework. By the end of the week, any free time that Oliver and I had was spent working on homework, which led to a fight on Thursday when he left me alone to go to Quidditch practice. We had a few fights throughout January and into February. We were barely speaking when the February Hogsmeade visit was announced as I was once again irritated at Oliver's obsession with Quidditch practice.

"Hogsmeade visit is on Saturday," he said coming into our suite on the Wednesday before.

"Yes," I replied, looking up from my Charms text.

"Are we going together?" he asked. I didn't answer; he didn't ask if I wanted to go with him and sounded like he was rather put out by the idea of going together. "I asked if we were going together," he repeated.

"I heard you the first time," I said. "When you ask me in a manner that doesn't suggest that you'd rather spend the afternoon doing extra potions with Professor Snape, then I'll answer."

"What does that even mean?" he snarled.

"'Are we going together?' sounded more like you'd rather never play quidditch again than spend the afternoon with me in Hogsmeade," I answered. "If that is your attitude, go alone." Oliver grunted and strutted out of the suite muttering something about practice. I was in bed when he returned.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said, curling around me; I pretended to sleep. "I know you're awake," he teased. "Just turn over and talk to me, please."

"I accept your apology," I said.

"I would rather spend the day in Hogsmeade with you than with anyone else," he promised, brushing a stray hair out of my face. "I'm sorry I've been a prat lately," he added, kissing my nose.

"And you really want to make up tonight, don't you?" I teased, smirking. I could tell exactly how much he wanted to make up.

"I would very much like to make up tonight," he replied, kissing my mouth. I rolled onto my back, pulling Oliver on top of me, until he rolled us over so that I was on top of him. It took us nearly an hour, but we made up properly before passing out. I was so exhausted that I nearly missed my first class the next morning.

The following Saturday (which was just a few days before Valentine's Day) was cold and snowy. Oliver and I walked down to the village together, chatting with our friends along the way. After spending at least an hour with our friends, Oliver made our excuses and led me away. "I wanted to be selfish and spend some alone time with you," he explained. "I also wanted to know if you've put any more thought into Art school."

"I don't think I want to do it," I said, sadly.

"Love, you should go," he suggested; I was caught off guard. "I don't want you to miss out on this opportunity because of me. Going to Edinburgh has been your dream; I'm not going to steal that from you."

"What if I can't do it?" I asked. "What if I get there and I'm terrible, or what if I don't make friends? I've never gone to school without you before."

"I promise that you'll be brilliant and the most popular girl in your year," he offered. "In fact, I'm so sure that you'll be wonderful, I'm willing to bet on it."

"What is the bet?" I asked, intrigued by the challenge.

"If I win and you do well and make friends, then we will spend an entire day naked," he suggested.

"Interesting," I replied. "And if I win and I suck and have to leave before the end of the first term, you will make me breakfast in bed for a week and I'll get to do my 'I told you so' dance."

"Deal," he answered. We shook hands and sealed our bet. Then we went back to the castle to send an owl to the Magical Arts Academy, accepting my place in the next class.

Once the owl was sent with my acceptance, Oliver suggested something we hadn't done in a while. "Let's go skating," he offered. "We haven't been in ages."

"We were supposed to go over Christmas," I scolded. We had made plans to go the day Fiona rudely woke us up and the rest of the time we had was spent with our mothers planning our wedding. I grabbed his hand and we trotted to our suite to get our skates. Then, we rushed out to the lake to join the growing crowd of skaters. There were even a few people sledding down the hill on toboggans. It was a lovely winter day.

We donned our skates and stepped out onto the lake. We must have skated for at least an hour before our feet were finally so cold and sore that we had to give up. After we changed back into our shoes, we climbed back up to the castle. We went back to Gryffindor tower with some of Oliver's friends for hot chocolate and an impromptu party in the common room. "You Gryffs love to party, don't you?" I teased.

"There's no such thing as a bad reason for a party," Kevin offered.

"It's a rule in Gryffindor," Jack added with a laugh. "We throw parties as often as possible. Of course, it's not a party until there's music."

"Will you sing for us?" Oliver asked, catching me completely off guard.

"I can't love," I answered. "This is totally unexpected."

"You can," he countered. "You have an amazing talent. Come on. Just sing one song, please."

"Only for you and only because Valentine's Day is on Monday," I replied. "And don't expect special sex." I whispered the last bit and saw Oliver look dejected, until I smirked and winked at him. I finally got up to sing, after a few minutes of procrastinating over song choice. After the song I promised, I sang a few more and found that I really enjoyed performing for an audience.

It took Oliver nearly an hour to get me off the stage and I was starting to lose my voice. "Thanks," I croaked. "I didn't know performing could be that much fun."

"You are brilliant," he said, kissing my nose. "It's just about time for dinner if you're hungry." I hadn't realized how hungry I was until he had suggested dinner, so I grabbed his hand and led him out of the noisy common room and to the Great Hall for dinner.

Oliver had other plans. "Dinner is en suite tonight, my love," he said with a wink. He dragged me away from the Great Hall and to our room. When we arrived, the room was filled with candles and rose petals were strewn about.

"What is this? And when did you do it?" I asked.

"This is an early Valentine's Day surprise," he answered. "Since the holiday is on Monday and we'll be in classes most of the day, I took the opportunity for us to have a very romantic candlelight dinner."

"And how did you go about getting this dinner?" I asked.

"I have a little pull in the kitchens and a very sweet house elf called Bobbin helped me out," he replied, truthfully. "Shall we eat?"

"Of course." I sat at the small table that had been set up in the sitting room. There was a bottle of elf made wine chilling on the table and a pot that smelled delicious. The pot contained a very lovely stew. There was also a small bread basket with warm rolls. After dinner, we went to Ravenclaw tower for the party there.

The following Monday was actually Valentine's Day. At breakfast, the Great Hall was decorated with pink and red and little cupids floated above all the tables. "This is almost sickening," Oliver mused as we sat at the Ravenclaw table with my friends.

"What's that?" asked Jemma, looking very starry-eyed towards Brian Pryce, a seventh-year Hufflepuff.

"The pink fluffy crap," he replied, looking slightly disgusted.

"Really, Bear, you did the lovey-dovey romantic stuff the other night," I teased. "Why does this bother you now?"

"It's not the romance, princess," he answered. "It's the general pink-ness of it all."

"You do realize that my mother has picked pink bridesmaid dresses for the wedding, don't you?" I asked, seriously. My mother had sent me a photo of the bridesmaid dress that she had selected and the only good thing I could say about it was that I would definitely be the prettiest girl in the wedding party. Oliver had agreed and then sent an owl to my mother, refusing to wear any pink with his tuxedo for the wedding. Mum relented on the planned pink ties and went with basic black instead.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The weekend after Valentine's Day was the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw quidditch match. I had no idea which team to root for. So, I sat with the Hufflepuffs. When the game ended with a Gryffindor win, I was only partially sad. I rushed the field with the rest of Oliver's housemates to find him in the throngs. Once I found him, I leapt into his arms and kissed him fully until he set me down again. "Cheers, love," he said, with a wink.

I followed the team into the changing rooms. Oliver met with the team while I waited in the captain's office. "Well done, Bear," I said when he came in. I had stripped down to naught but my knickers, which were lacy and black.

"Thanks, B," he said, not looking. I stayed silent until he finally looked up at me. "Bloody hell, woman, are you trying to kill me?"

"No, but perhaps I am trying to persuade you into certain activities," I teased, walking towards his private shower while shedding my bra. I chanced a look behind me to see that he had shed his jersey and was trotting behind me. He caught me at the doorway to the bathroom and pulled me into his chest, kissing my neck.

"You are the best wife ever," he joked. "But why the shower?"

"We've never been in the shower together before," I answered, turning around in his arms to face him. His hands roamed down my backside to squeeze my bum. "Cheeky," I teased.

"Always, my love," he replied. He reached around me and turned on the water, snogging me until it was warm enough to get into the shower.

We had been enjoying each other's company in the steam until we heard a knock on the door and someone coming in. "Wood," shouted one of the Weasley twins. "Quit trying to drown yourself. The party's going to start in the common room soon."

Oliver didn't have a chance to answer when they burst into the bathroom (thankfully, there was a door to the shower). "Weasleys, don't you lot wait for an answer before barging in on someone?" I was trying desperately to hide behind Oliver, since I was naked. I also was trying to summon my knickers before one of the twins spotted them on the floor.

"Bloody hell, Wood!" George exclaimed. "Can't you lot do that somewhere else? There are children who could walk in on you around here!"

"Please, Weasley," I teased. "You're one of 7 kids. Don't tell me your parents have never done this. Now get out so we can get dressed and you can embarrass us properly." Blanching, the twins turned tail and scurried out of the toilet muttering something about not wanting to think about their parents together like we were.

"That was well done, ducky," Oliver mused. He handed me a towel to dry off and summoned my clothes. Once we were dressed, we went to Gryffindor tower for the victory party. Neither Fred nor George Weasley could look at us in the eye for the entire evening and we were dozing on the sofa by the time curfew arrived. Percy poked Oliver in the side and sent us back to our suite.

When we got back we changed into pajamas and climbed into bed. "Are you tired?" he asked.

"A little, but I could stay up for a bit, I suppose," I answered.

"I want to take you on a honeymoon," he said. "But I don't know where you'd want to go."

"I will go wherever you take me and I'm certain it will be wonderful," I replied. "As long as we're together, we'll have fun. Just remember that we have tickets to the World Cup finals."

"How could I forget?" he joked. "It's only the best present anyone has ever given to me."

"And you shall never forget who gave it to you," I teased.

"Of course not," he replied. "That made you the best wife ever."

"Now I thought it was the performance in the shower earlier," I laughed. He laughed and kissed me. We stopped after a few moments of kissing and went to sleep.

By the Easter holidays, Oliver acted as though he was hiding something. When I asked him, he denied it, but smirked. I assumed it had something to do with our wedding, so I let it go. Over the holidays, our mothers came to Hogsmeade for a visit. I forced Oliver to end quidditch practice early on the day they were coming so that he could meet us for lunch in the village.

We met up at the Three Broomsticks at 1:00 for lunch, after going to the Hogsmeade branch of the Bridal shop for a dress fitting. The dress needed very few alterations, so the fitting took nearly no time at all. "So, what have you lot decided for next year?" Stella asked while we looked at China patterns.

"I'm going to the Arts Academy in Edinburgh for at least one term," I answered. "Ollie said that he wouldn't rob me of my dream and he'll be at training camp for most of that time anyway if he gets picked up by a professional team."

"He's still hoping to play?" Mum asked.

"There were a few scouts at the last game, and a Puddlemere scout is coming to the finals, so I think he's hoping for an offer," I replied. "He's really holding out hope for Puddlemere. They've been his favorite team forever."

We had arrived at the Three Broomsticks just before Oliver and were getting a table when he came up behind me and kissed my neck. He gave each of our mothers a kiss on the cheek and went to the bar to fetch us all drinks. "He's really polite," Mum mused.

"He's quite a catch," I joked. "And he thinks he knows it." I knew that he was standing behind me, but I turned around and teased, "Oh, you're there, Bear."

"I'm here, B," he laughed. "And be careful. I wouldn't want to spill butterbeer all over you."

Oliver sat down next to me and over sandwiches and butterbeer, we chatted and laughed with our mothers. Soon, however, we had to return to the castle and our mothers had to go home. As we walked back to the castle, Oliver mused, "What a difference a year makes."

"I know," I replied. "Last year, at this time, I ran back to your dorm in tears after a disaster lunch with my mother at Madam Puddifoots."

"Blimey! Eating there is enough to make anyone cry," he joked. "It's just so…pink."

"Just for giggles, you should take me there during our last Hogsmeade weekend," I suggested. "Then, we'll meet up with our friends for a shopping excursion to get enough alcohol to supply the massive party that will be thrown."

"You are a very ambitious woman," he laughed. "And it sounds like a good day."

The next weekend was the Quidditch finals. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin and the Puddlemere scouts were there, along with 2 scouts from the Pride of Portree. I sat with the Gryffindors during the game. We were very near the scouts and I could hear them talking. The Puddlemere guys seemed to be very impressed with Oliver. When the game ended, I ran onto the pitch with the rest of the Gryffindors and found Oliver, again, jumping into his arms.

"WE WON!" he shouted, through tears of joy. "I can't bloody believe it! WE WON!"

"I'm so proud of you," I said, jumping for joy with him. The party on the field lasted until Madam Hooch shooed us off. Again, I followed Oliver to his office, but this time, I did not strip for him while he was meeting with the team. Instead, I was waiting with the scouts from Puddlemere and Portree.

"I'll see you lot at the party," he promised coming into the office. "Baby, why are you still dressed?"

"Because we have company," I answered. "Oliver, this is Mr. Gavin Jameson and this is Mr. Jack Winterbourne. They're here from Puddlemere. And this is Mr. Joseph Harper and Mr. Albert Blythe. They're here from Portree. They'd all like a word with you."

"Mr. Wood," began Mr. Jameson. "You were most impressive today. And your team seems to be fairly young. How old is your seeker?"

"Harry is a third year," Oliver answered. "He was raised by muggles and had never heard of Quidditch when he started here."

"And you trained him?" Mr. Harper asked.

"Yes," Oliver replied.

"Well, young man, you're certainly skilled," said Mr. Blythe. "We'd love to have you join the reserve team with the Prides."

"And we'd love to have you join the reserve team at Puddlemere," said Mr. Winterbourne. "It seems you have competing offers on the table."

"We'll need to know within a fortnight," said Mr. Jameson. With that, the scouts left 2 proposals on the desk and bid us goodbye.

"It was lovely meeting you all," I said.

"It was lovely meeting you, Mrs. Wood," said Mr. Harper. "She's quite a beauty, Mr. Wood."

"I know, sir," Oliver answered. He was beaming and trying very hard to contain his excitement. When we were sure they had left, he squealed. "I just got offers from Puddlemere AND Portree?"

"So, where are you going to play?" I asked. I knew that he really wanted to play for Puddlemere.

"I'm not sure anymore," he answered, sitting at his desk. "I've always wanted Puddlemere, but Portree will be so much closer."

"You should play for Puddlemere," I suggested. He looked at me quizzically. "It's always been your dream. I don't want to stand in your way. And you're forgetting that we can apparate, so we'll still be able to see each other." I cupped his face with my hand and he smirked at me, pulling me into his lap.

"Alright, then," he said. "Puddlemere it is, though I'm going to miss you quite a lot."

"I'm sure you will with all the screaming fans tossing their knickers at you," I joked.

"Little do they know I only want to see your knickers," he teased, pawing at my pants and trying to check out my knickers.

I let him see my knickers and joined him in the shower, again. When we finished, we went to the Gryffindor common room to join the already raging party. I went to get a drink and bumped into Fred Weasley. "You'll notice we didn't come looking for you today after the game," he teased.

"I did notice that and I appreciate it," I joked. "And Oliver appreciates it, too."

"We just didn't want you reminding us about what our parents do in their… Never mind. I can't even finish the thought, it's so revolting," he laughed. "Now, I'm going to find a girl and snog her senseless. It's only because I don't want Oliver to kick my arse that I don't try with you, love."

"Cheers, Fred," I said, waving him off. We stayed at the party long after curfew and ended up sleeping on the sofa in the common room to avoid getting into trouble.

The term ended all too quickly for us and before we knew it, our N.E.W.T.s were nearing, along with the graduation ball. I had managed to get a dress during the final Hogsmeade visit of the year, before meeting Oliver at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Room for lunch.

I finished my last exam on the morning of the last day. After that, Oliver (who had already finished his exams) and I went out to the lake to hang out with our friends. "This sucks," Jemma said, grumpily.

"What do you mean, Jem?" I asked. "We're graduating on Saturday."

"That's what sucks," she said. "We're graduating and next year, we won't get to come back. I'm going to miss Hogwarts."

"What are your plans after graduation?" asked Kevin. Christie and I shared a look.

"I'm going to healer training at St. Mungo's," she answered. "What about you?"

"Working for Gringotts in London as a liaison with the muggle banks," he answered. "We'll both be in London." Jemma's eyes lit up and she looked quite pleased about living near one of Oliver's friends.

"What about you, Christie? Where will you be?" I asked.

"I'm going to keep studying potions, in Ireland," she replied. Brendan Michaels smiled knowingly at her and announced that he was going to play beater for the Ballycastle Bats.

"And you lot are going to be separated for a while," Jack mused. I smiled sadly and nodded.

"But only for a few months," Oliver replied. "And when she finishes her first term and I finish training camp, we're going to find a little cottage outside Edinburgh and start having our own quidditch team."

"We've talked about this," I said. "I'm not having 7 children. When you have to carry them, we'll talk about more than 3."

"We'll negotiate later," Oliver said, laughing. I glared at him and he added, "I guess we'll be working on having a group of chasers."

A few short days later, we held the Graduation Ball. It was our last party at Hogwarts. The next morning, the graduation ceremony was held. I sat with Ravenclaw while Oliver sat with Gryffindor. He sent me a few looks during the ceremony, which seemed to last forever, but only took an hour and a half. At the end, Oliver and I met in the middle and went to collect our things. We went to his parents' house for a week and then to my parents' house.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

After alternating a couple of weeks with each of our parents, Oliver and I took a day and went to start looking for housing near Puddlemere. "Are you sure I shouldn't call Portree?" he asked after we looked at the third cottage.

"Puddlemere is where you have always wanted to be," I answered. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed his mouth. "Now, what do we think of this cottage?" It was horrible and we both knew that we wouldn't take it. The realtor looked at us hopefully until a rat crawled across the floor, causing me to jump onto Oliver's back, screeching.

We moved on, and before the end of the day, we had looked at no fewer than 12 flats and had yet to find a place to live. We went to London for the night, dejected. Oliver took me to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron and then for a walk around London. He smirked for most of the night. "Alright, you've been smirking for weeks," I finally said. "What has got you in such a mood?"

"It's a surprise," he said. I glared at him until he answered. "Fine. Our tickets came for our honeymoon today."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"I'm taking you to Ireland," he answered. "I know it's not much, but we only have a few days before we have to go to the Cup and…" He didn't get to finish as I had attached my lips to his.

"Ireland will be brilliant," I said when we finally broke apart. "Where will we be?"

"In a very secluded little inn that caters to honeymooning wizards," he answered. "We'll pack nothing but smiles as I intend to spend the entire 4 days naked. And when you're out of school, I promise to take us on a real honeymoon somewhere exotic."

"It doesn't matter where we go," I promised. "It only matters that we're together."

"So, tomorrow, we have a few places to look at and then, I thought we could hang around Diagon Alley for a while," he suggested.

"And since your birthday is next week, you thought you could pick your own present," I teased. "Little do you know that I already have your present."

"What did you get me?" he begged, grabbing me about the waist.

"There is absolutely no way I'm going to tell you that," I laughed.

"Even if I'm a very good boy tonight?" He gave me his best puppy eyes, but I refused to relent.

The next morning, we returned to Puddlemere to find housing and, after several hours, we were finally able to find a suitable cottage. "We can move in just after the World Cup," Oliver suggested. "We'll have a week here before you leave for school."

"I'm still not sure about the entire school thing," I whined.

Oliver grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me to him. "You, my love, are brilliant. You will be brilliant at school and you're going to like it so much that you'll forget all about me."

"Impossible," I promised. "Who will give me back rubs and shoulder massages? And who will hold my hair back if I get sick?"

"Ah, yes, the fun parts of marriage," he joked. "Come on, love. It's time to go."

We wandered around London for a while before going back to Scotland. The next weekend, we celebrated Oliver's birthday with a small family party. I gave him a broom servicing kit and some new keeper's gloves. "These are professional grade," he said, pulling out the gloves.

"The coach said they're the best," I replied. "He suggested them when I asked what you would need."

"Thank you," he said, kissing my head. "I love them almost as much as I love you." I also hadn't shown him the naughty knickers that I was wearing until after the party. When he saw the knickers, he started to stutter and blush, just a little. The knickers were red boy shorts and had "Mrs. Wood" scrawled across my rear end. "Great knickers, babe," he teased.

"I thought you might like them," I said. "It's part of your birthday present."

"If you hadn't already clinched the award, you'd win for best wife ever," he joked.

I smirked and beckoned him with my finger. "You aren't going to keep me in these knickers all night, are you?"

"Of course not," he promised, crossing over to me and tackling me onto our bed. He tickled my sides and I laughed so loudly that his parents knocked on the door and demanded that we keep it down. We snickered, but tried to be quiet and cast some silencing charms.

Over the next few weeks, we were extremely busy in getting ready for school, the Quidditch season, and our wedding. "Who thought that doing all this stuff at the same time was a good idea?" Oliver asked me one night, about a week before our wedding.

"I know," I answered. "We haven't had any real alone time since we went house hunting. And tomorrow, we get to move into the new house."

"At least then we'll have some quiet time," he suggested.

"I wouldn't count on it," I said. "Mum insinuated that I would have to be here for several days before the wedding to finalize all the details and you'll be in early training runs and team meetings."

"The worst part is that I'm too tired to even try to get into your pants," he joked.

"Funny," I replied, dryly. As he was putting an arm across my stomach, I suddenly felt ill. I threw his arm off me and bolted for the toilet to empty my stomach of its contents. While I was vomiting, I felt Oliver pull my hair back and rub small circles on my back. When I finished, he handed me a glass of water so that I could rinse out my mouth.

"How long have you been feeling sick?" he asked.

"Today was the first time," I answered.

"We'll have Christie and Jemma come to help us move tomorrow," he suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous," I countered. "There is no need to bother them. I'll be fine and we can use magic to move, so no heavy lifting."

"I'll agree but only because I don't want a fight," he replied. "And if you're not better in a couple of days, I want you to see a healer." I sighed and agreed, not wanting to fight.

The next day, we moved into our new house. I was feeling fine for most of the day, until we ate dinner. Our parents, who had helped with the move, were with us when I bolted from the table for the bathroom. Oliver followed and insisted that I see a healer the next day. My mother suggested that I return to Scotland with my parents since our house wasn't connected to the floo network yet. "Really, Mum, I'd be happier here," I protested. "I haven't slept alone in months and I'm not about to start."

"Then I'll come back with you," Oliver offered. "You're going to see a healer tomorrow and if your normal healer is in Scotland, then we'll be at your parents' tonight."

"No, we'll be here and you can take me home early in the morning," I suggested. Everyone finally agreed and our parents apparated back to Edinburgh, leaving Oliver and I alone. "I don't think I need to see a healer," I said when we were finally alone.

"You're going to see a healer," he stated, without looking up from washing the dishes and putting them away.

"I know why I've been throwing up," I said. "I'm not sick." That got his attention and he dropped the plate he was washing.

"Do you often throw up when you're not sick?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"You do if there is a small parasite making you throw up," I replied. He still couldn't figure out what I was trying to tell him.

"If it's a parasite that is making you sick, you should see a healer about trying to get rid of it," he started. It was fun, watching his face as realization dawned on him. "Unless," he added, "it's the kind of parasite that will have my quidditch abilities and your good looks."

"That is exactly the kind of parasite it is," I answered. "It's the kind of parasite that will be born in approximately 9 months, Dad."

"How long have you known?" he asked.

"I figured it out this afternoon when the smell of Mum's sandwich made me nearly vomit," I said. "I didn't want to say anything to anyone before I told you." He had crossed over to me and put his hand on my belly. "Are you happy?"

"I'm thrilled," he promised. "I can't currently think of anything that will make me happier, even if it was a little sooner than planned. But, what will this do for your school?"

"I'll switch my schedule so that I'm doing mostly music this term, so probably not much," I promised. "Although, next term might be difficult since I'll be due to have the baby in April."

"We'll talk about next term later," he said. "We should get to bed. It's been a long day." I agreed and we changed into pajamas and climbed into bed.

The next morning, we woke early so that Oliver could take me to Scotland. He apparated us to my parents' house and we went into the breakfast room. "Good morning, Mum," I called, grabbing some toast.

"Good morning, dear," she replied from the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please," I answered. She brought the kettle and some tea for us. Oliver stayed for a cup before he had to leave for his team meeting at Puddlemere.

After Oliver left, my mother cornered me. "Does he know?" she demanded.

"Does he know what, Mum?" I asked, trying to play coy.

"Don't play games with me, Bryony," Mum said, with a scowl. "Does he know you're going to be parents?"

"I told him last night," I replied. "And how did you know?"

"I noticed the signs, dear," she answered, smirking. "This is so exciting."

"Then, you're not angry?" I asked.

"Of course not," she said. "You lot are married. It was bound to happen sooner or later. What will this do for school?"

"Ollie asked the same thing," I laughed. "I'm doing music this term and so I'll be able to go. Next term, I may have to take a leave of absence or drop out entirely because I was supposed to do dance. Of course, nothing has been confirmed yet."

"We're going to see Madeleine Summers later this morning," she stated. "And after that, we'll have your final fitting and review the menu and floral arrangements. Then, we get to finalize the seating chart."

"I thought we finished the seating chart last week," I groaned. Wedding plans were making me insane.

"We did, but then, we got another reply," she reported. "Jake's parents are coming."

"Why in the name of Merlin were they even invited?" I asked.

"Because they're family," she retorted. "Now, go and get ready. We're leaving in 5 minutes."

We left, as promised, five minutes later. I went to the healer's office expecting to be told exactly what I knew. I didn't expect to be told that I wasn't pregnant. "Were you trying for a baby?" Madeleine asked.

"No, we weren't," I answered, sadly. "But that doesn't mean that we didn't want a baby."

"Dear, you're both young and under a lot of stress," she suggested. "I'm sure that this was just because of all the stress with graduating, and wedding plans, and moving all adding up. If you decide to start specifically trying, let me know and I'll give you some helpful hints."

"Thank you," I said, brushing the tears off my cheeks. I slowly went back to find my mother in the waiting room. She noticed how sad I was and, thankfully, didn't say anything until we were home.

"Let it out, dear," she ordered. I sat on the sofa in the sitting room and sobbed for what seemed like an eternity before she said, "Enough blubbering, Bryony. We've got wedding plans to finish."

"I'll stay for the fitting, but do you think you could just figure out the seating without me, Mum?" I begged. "Oliver will be home early this afternoon." She reluctantly agreed.

I went and washed my face before my final dress fitting. The dress fit perfectly and needed no further alterations. After the fitting was done, I apparated back to our little cottage and waited for Oliver.

"I wasn't expecting you to be home so early," he said, kissing my head. I had been crying, again, and he asked, "What's wrong?"

"We're not pregnant," I answered. "I'm sorry I got your hopes up."

"What did the healer say?" he asked.

"That the signs were most likely a result of all the stress of the wedding and moving and everything else we've got going on," I replied. "She says there's no reason we can't have a baby and that if we need help, we should ask when we're ready to start trying."

"Then, we won't worry about it right now," he said, trying to stay upbeat. "Come on. I'll take you for dinner."

That night, I woke up and heard Oliver crying in the bathroom. I got out of bed and went to join him. I sat on his lap and let him sob against my shoulder. "I shouldn't be crying like a little girl," he wailed. "It's not like we even wanted a baby now."

"It seems cruel," I replied. "It's something we didn't know we wanted until we thought it was going to happen. I'm so sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong," he sniffed. "It's not your fault."

"You didn't do anything wrong, either," I promised. "We should get back to bed." Oliver agreed and we made our way back to our bed.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

We woke the next morning feeling marginally better. Our attitudes only improved as the week went on and by the time we were heading to Edinburgh for our wedding, we were both in better spirits. "So, love, do you want to get married, again?" Oliver asked.

"To you?" I teased. He pouted until I added, "Why not? I mean, we're already married so we might as well do it again."

"I'm so glad to know I'm loved," he joked.

When we arrived, my parents' house was a flurry of activity. There were caterers and florists running about and the dresses had arrived. We stepped into the house in the late morning on the day before the wedding and were immediately set to work. "Oh, good, you're here," Mum said. "Bryony, you need to go and be fitted for your dress for tonight's rehearsal dinner. And Oliver, you're needed at your parents house to get your dress robes fitted."

"I'll see you later, love," Oliver said, kissing my cheek as I was ushered into my old room.

By the time the rehearsal dinner was starting, I was fit to be tied. I had been poked and prodded and cajoled for an entire afternoon. We did the rehearsal and then had a dinner with the family to celebrate my birthday. Oliver had wished me a happy birthday in the morning, but hadn't given me my present. So, after dinner, he handed me a small box and whispered, "I thought you might like to wear it tomorrow."

"Thanks," I said. I opened the box and found a pair of pearl earrings that would look amazing with my dress. My parents had given me a pearl necklace and Oliver's parents gave me a matching bracelet. They all said I should wear them for the wedding and I agreed.

After dinner, Oliver and I spent some time together in the garden, admiring the very lovely weather. "I'm going to be sleeping alone tonight, aren't I?" Oliver asked as we watched the sun set.

"That, my love, is a safe assumption," I replied, leaning against him. "I wish we had more moments like this, when it's just you and me."

"We've just had nearly an entire week of this," he joked.

"Yes, but that week was marred by wedding plans and meetings and all other kinds of crap," I said.

"We'll have a couple of weeks to just us," he promised. "We should go inside, though. It's getting late and I need my beauty rest."

"Good night, handsome," I said, kissing him. Then, I went inside and went to bed.

I was awakened the next morning at the crack of dawn to finish the wedding crap. Jemma and Christie arrived around mid-morning and, thankfully, snuck something to eat into my room. "Thank you," I said, chewing on the roll. "Mum hasn't let me eat since yesterday."

"We couldn't let you go hungry today," Jemma promised. "It's going to be a long day. So, are you nervous to get married?"

"Yes because the first time we did it, it was just the two of us in a ministry office in Edinburgh," I joked. We laughed and I filled them in that some of the guests were unaware that Oliver and I had been married for a year. Just as we were finishing another round of giggles, Stella's owl, Archimedes, knocked on my window.

"What is it?" Christie asked.

"It's a severed human head," I stated, wryly. I opened the note, which was from Oliver, and sat on my bed reading it:

_B,_

_ In case I forget to tell you today, you look beautiful. Tell Jemma and Christie that they must each save me a dance. I'll be the devilishly handsome bloke in a kilt at the end of the aisle._

_ Also, since it's our first anniversary, and the traditional gift is paper, consider this your present, along with the small token that was in the note._

_ I love you and I'll see you later, Bear_

I hadn't noticed the small pink paper rose that had fluttered to the floor. I picked it up and realized that Oliver had charmed it to smell like roses. "That is so sweet," Jemma cooed, reading my note.

"Give that back," I ordered. "And you lot are to save a dance each for Oliver. I think he wants to pester you about something."

"We know," Christie said. "We read your note. Now, I believe that it is time to start getting dressed and ready or you'll be late to your own wedding."

I snuck into the bathroom to shower and slither into the special knickers I had purchased (which were part of my gift to Oliver). I came out of the bathroom in a dressing gown and sat to get my hair and make-up done. Amy strolled into my room with her screaming baby, my nephew, Aiden, in her arms and gave me crap about something or another. I ignored her and the baby being too caught up in my own bliss to care about her.

Finally, it was time to get into my dress. I managed to pull it on without destroying any of the prettying-up I had already done and Jemma helped finish the zipper. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Abso-freakin'-lutely," I joked.

The girls giggled and my mum knocked on the door. "There is a rather handsome and impatient looking quidditch player waiting for you in the garden, dear," she said, beaming.

"Thanks Mum," I replied. "Let's not keep him waiting any longer."

Jemma and Christie led the way through the house and into the garden. My dad met me at the door to the garden and everyone gathered stood as the music changed. "Ready, Busy Bee?" he asked, taking my arm.

"Yeah, Dad," I answered. "Let's go."

We walked down the aisle; I was beaming at Oliver the entire time. I chanced a look and noticed that many of our friends had gathered, as well as several of Oliver's new teammates. When we reached the end of the aisle, Oliver winked as he took my hand.

The same ministry wizard that had married us the year before was present to officiate and he began the service with a brief statement on the duties of married couples. He then turned to Oliver and said, "I understand that the couple have written their own vows."

"B, you're my best friend," Oliver began. "You always have been and I couldn't think of anyone better to spend my life with. I promise to fight for you, always. I'll make you laugh and I'll support you. If our parents hadn't chosen this path for us when we were babies, I still would want to spend eternity with you. I love you always, babe. I'll be your partner and your bear forever."

"Ollie-bear, I know it embarrasses you terribly when I call you that in public," I teased. "You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. My life is better when you're in it. Today, I renew the promises I made to you 1 year ago. I promise to love you, to laugh with you, and to support you forever. I promise to learn to cook so that we're not surviving on take out and toast. I promise to always learn new reasons to love you, and, every once in a while, I'll even let you snuggle with me."

"Then, I'll ask, Oliver Duncan Wood, do you take this woman to be your wife, again? Do you reaffirm your vow to love, honor, and protect her until death parts you?"

"I do," Oliver replied.

"And Bryony Leigh Martin-Wood, do you take this man to be your husband, again? Do you reaffirm your vow to love, honor, and protect him until death parts you?"

"I do," I answered.

"Then, I pronounce that you are, again, bonded for life," he finished. He waved his wand over our hands and the golden strands again tied themselves around our hands. "You may kiss your bride." Oliver needed no further encouragement and snogged me fully in front of our friends and family. He kept kissing me until Kevin, his best man, tapped him on the back to break it up.

"Sorry, mate," he cheeked; Oliver blushed a little. Our guests all applauded and someone (one of the Weasley twins) shouted that he should keep going.

"That was fun," I whispered as we made our way back down the aisle. "Now, did you save a dance for me?"

"I've reserved many dances for you, my love," he answered. "I may have even arranged some special music."

"And what music did you arrange?" I asked.

"You'll see," he teased.

The dinner and dancing would also be in the garden. When we reached the back, several of the caterers waved their wands and created a dance floor and rearranged the chairs around tables. Oliver and I were finally allowed to eat, until Kevin started his speech. "I couldn't believe it when Oliver asked me to be his best man, today," he said. "It was well known all over school that this lot had eloped last summer. I understand it was a year ago today. Well, it's been quite a year and through it, I've watched Oliver closely when he thought no one was paying attention. I watched how he'd smirk at the mention of Bryony's name and how he'd be terribly upset if she was in any way upset. Watching them, it was obvious to everyone, even before they knew it, that they would be together. So, today, with all of your friends and family gathered, we'll raise a glass to Oliver and Bryony. May you live as long as you want but never want as long as you live and may your first child be blest with her good looks. To the happy couple!" Everyone drank, and laughed.

The dancing started after the speech. Oliver offered me a hand as we were invited to the dance floor. "The groom has requested a special song for the bride," said the DJ. Then, the music started. Oliver had asked to have my favorite song played for us.

"How did you get them to play a muggle song?" I asked.

"I had to get a copy of it myself," he answered, "but I knew that _Fields of Gold_ is your favorite."

"When did you find the time to do this?" I pressed.

"When you were finishing plans with your mum," he replied. "I got out of a team meeting earlier than planned one day and was able to find it. Are you happy?"

"Deliriously happy," I promised. "Are you happy?"

"There is nothing that I could think of that would make me happier than I am at this moment," he stated, sincerely. "I love you more than anything."

"More than quidditch?" I teased.

"More than anything," he promised. He kissed me, again, while we were dancing.

When the song ended, we retreated to the other side of the dance floor and each spent some time dancing with other friends and family. After a few hours, the wedding party was ending and it was time for us to go. "I forgot to tell you earlier, but you look incredible today," Oliver whispered to me as we went back into my parents' house to change before leaving. "Great dress."

"Thanks," I said. I kissed his cheek. "I'll need help with the zipper." Oliver helped with the zipper and started kissing me. If I didn't stop him, we would have missed our portkey to Ireland.

We spent the next 4 days in Ireland, and didn't see much more than the inside of our suite. We did venture out for dinner each night, but breakfast was taken in bed each morning.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

We returned from Ireland all too soon for my liking and went back to our cottage in Puddlemere. "We leave for the World Cup on Monday," Oliver noted. "So, until then, we have free time." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Really, Bear," I replied. "I've got to start packing because the day after we get back from the World Cup, I'm leaving for Edinburgh."

"Is it that soon?" he said, taken aback. Suddenly, it seemed to me, he was less confident about the arrangements that we had made.

"Yes," I answered. "I don't have to go. I could go in a year or two."

"You're going now," he promised. "We'll survive it." I nodded and for the rest of the afternoon, Oliver helped me pack my trunk. "Promise me that when you go you won't forget about me."

"What's going on?" I asked. "This is not like you. You know I would never forget you."

"We haven't ever spent this long without a serious fight that led us to not speaking for at least a month," he answered. "It's been nice."

"It has been nice," I replied, putting the packing aside for a while. I crossed the room to him and put my arms around his neck. "Let's get out for a while. I want to take you somewhere." He closed his eyes and I apparated us to our cliff side in Scotland.

"Why are we here?" he asked.

"Over there is where I fell completely in love with you," I answered. "Do you know when it was?" He shook his head. "It was when you brought me here after Mum told me about the contract. I know I gave you a lot of crap about who kissed who at that Christmas ball, but I also know you better than anyone else. I knew you'd never intentionally hurt me or that you wouldn't ask me out just to humiliate me.

"Of course, when we came here when we were children, that was when I first realized that you were going to be in my life forever," I finished.

He pulled me into a hug and kissed me for a long time on that cliff. When we broke for air, he said, "Thanks. I needed that."

"Shall we go home and have dinner, then?" I offered. He nodded and we apparated back to our cottage. I tried to cook dinner, which turned into a disaster. At least we had a laugh. Oliver finally took over in the kitchen and was able to make us eggs and toast.

The next few days were spent in much the same manner. We would spend part of the day packing and re-packing my things and then go out for a bit. We met a few of our neighbors, though we didn't really seek them out. Our favorite was Mrs. Bennington. She was a truly hilarious old witch that lived next door to us. During our first meeting, she called us over and demanded to know who we were. "I'm Oliver Wood and this is my wife, Bryony," Oliver answered.

"Married a bit young, wouldn't you say?" she cheeked. "Will there be a little one arriving?" She stared at my belly, as if she had the power to see into me.

"No, Mrs. Bennington," I answered. "As of yet, we have no plans for a little one. We married so young because we're completely in love." I had chosen to not apprise her of the arrangement our parents had made. She tutted and started for her door. Then, she turned around and invited us for tea; we accepted only because we didn't want to be rude. By the time we went home, we had learned that Mrs. Bennington frequently took boarders who played for Puddlemere and she was unimpressed by the fact that we were married, but that I would be going away to school for at least one term.

The following day was Saturday. That evening, the Puddlemere team hosted a dinner for the players and their dates. Naturally, I accompanied Oliver to the event. I met a few of his new teammates and their wives. The seeker's wife, Laurel Thomas, was a very tall and beautiful witch. She pulled me aside. "You're very brave," she said.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Married so young to a player on a team that could win the cup this year," she answered. "There are going to be girls literally throwing themselves at Oliver. He's quite handsome."

"That doesn't matter," I said. "I trust Oliver, even if I don't trust the girls. This won't be the first time that girls have thrown themselves at him."

"Trust me love," she warned. "This will also be 100 times worse than anything that happened at Hogwarts. It's a much larger scale. My husband has had marriage offers from at least 30 women this year and they all know that he's married."

"And I'm sure he turned them down," I pointed out.

She gave me a dark look and said, "Yes, but I'm home with him every night. What's Oliver going to do when he's alone all the time?" The question caught me off guard and I didn't know what to do. I found Oliver with some of his new teammates and he introduced me.

"Can we go home soon?" I asked. He agreed and we left the party an hour later. When we got home, I initiated sex with him; I was slightly aggressive.

"What's got into you?" he asked when we finished. "It's not that I mind, but you seem particularly aggressive tonight."

"I'm sorry," I replied, blushing. "One of the wives said something that got to me."

"What did she say?"

"She said that there were going to be literally hundreds of girls throwing themselves at you very soon," I answered. "I just want to be sure that when they're doing that, you're thinking of me."

"Love, there is nothing that will take me away from you," he promised. "I love you and there is nothing that will change that."

We left for the World Cup a few days later. We met the Weasley family there and Oliver officially told them he had been accepted to the Puddlemere reserve team. Fred and George were impressed and offered to sell me some of their joke products to use on unsuspecting broom bunnies. "I'll keep you posted," I promised.

We thoroughly enjoyed the game and had very good seats. Oliver pointed several things out to me as we watched the match. He was not shocked when Krum caught the snitch, even though Bulgaria were down more than 150 points. So, Bulgaria caught the snitch, but Ireland still won. "Why would he end the game if they were so far down?" I asked.

"Because he knew that they would never catch up," Oliver answered. "He wanted to end the game on his terms and save the team as much as possible."

"I still don't get it, but I'll take your word for it," I joked.

"You don't have to understand it, babe," he promised. "I will never understand opera."

"Fair enough," I replied.

We arrived back at our campsite and sipped some cocoa around a fire with some of Oliver's school friends, who had campsites nearby. I was, again, on Oliver's lap and starting to doze. "We should get to bed," Oliver stated. "We have an early morning and then we have to move her into her dormitory on Friday."

"Why do you have to go on a Friday?" Jack asked.

"Because," I answered, yawning, "the first years have to attend a performance on Friday night. Our families may join us and then they all have to leave."

"So, how long will it be before you see each other again?" asked Kevin.

"Probably about a month," Oliver said, sadly. "I'm going for parents' weekend."

"And I'm sneaking out for a weekend, too," I promised. "And don't argue. We've had this discussion. You will require a date to that Quidditch Banquet in October and I'm not letting you go with anyone but me."

"I wasn't going to argue," he said, though I didn't believe him.

We went to bed, but were rudely awakened less than an hour later by the ruckus caused by the Death Eaters. Oliver shoved me into our tent and begged me to stay there while he went to see if he could help. "I'm not letting you leave without me," I said, sternly. He caved and I followed him into the melee.

We were able to stay together, but barely. Oliver held my hand tightly during the running. We got separated for a moment when Tim Jeffries grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Oliver noticed quickly and came back, hexing Tim to the point where he was knocked out. We ran away quickly.

When the melee finally ended, Oliver and I returned to our tent to collect our things. Dawn was just about breaking and we decided that we would not be able to get back to sleep in our tent, so we went home instead. When we got home, we went back to bed for a few hours. Then, we got up and finished packing my bags for school.

"I promise you'll be fine," Oliver said, sitting on our bed next to me and putting his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you," I replied, sniffing. "I won't have snuggle time and it will be rather cold in bed."

"You'll have the bear," he offered.

"The bear isn't as good as the original," I countered. "Will you write to me?"

"Every day," he promised. "Of course, you have to write back."

"Every day," I agreed. "And we'll see each other as much as possible."

"Shall we go to your parents' house?" he asked. I nodded and we grabbed my trunk and Oliver's overnight bag before flooing to my parents' house for the night.

Dinner was subdued and Oliver's parents joined us. After dinner, we spent some time with our parents in the sitting room. "Why don't you play for us, Bryony?" Mum suggested. "I haven't heard you in ages." I smiled and sat at the piano.

After a half an hour, Oliver invited me for a fly and we left the house to go to his orchard for a fly. We were outside for an hour. When we landed, Oliver said, "You've become a fair flyer, love."

"Thanks," I replied. "I still prefer my travel on the ground, but if I'm married to a guy destined to be a famous quidditch player, I figured I'd better learn how to fly."

"Destined to be a famous quidditch player?" he teased. I nodded. "I'm not sure about that."

"I am," I replied. "You're brilliant and you're going to be brilliant in the professional league." He started to say something, but I cut him off. "Let me finish, please. The last few weeks have been mostly about me freaking out about school and I seemed to forget that you are freaking out a little about playing in the big leagues. It's my turn to remind you that you'll be brilliant."

"Definitely win the award," he joked. I gave him a quizzical look. "You are absolutely the best wife ever. We should get back before our parents send out a search party."

"They're probably sure that we're shagging in your broom shed," I joked.

"That's not a half bad idea," he mused. "We've never shagged in the broom shed."

"And we're not going to shag there tonight, either," I said. He pouted, so I added, "We'll shag somewhere tonight, just not the broom shed."

"We could at least snog there, then," he begged. I gave in on the snogging, which then led to shagging. As we got dressed to head back, he joked, "And I thought you promised no shagging in the broom shed."

"Shut up," I warned. "Come on and let's get back before they really send out a search party." My parents gave us a knowing look when we returned and said we were going to bed.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The next morning, Mum woke us early by barging in while we were in the middle of a very lovely snog. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, can't you give it a rest?" she scolded.

"Really, Mum, we're going to be apart for several weeks," I cheeked. "No, we can't give it a rest." I shooed my mother out of my room, but the moment was gone and we gave up. While Oliver was in the shower, I went to get breakfast. He snuck up behind me while I was buttering my toast and kissed my head.

"You really should eat something more than toast," he suggested. I was too nervous to bother eating anything more and when he tried to force some sausages down my throat I bolted for the toilet to vomit.

"Are you alright?" he asked, pulling my hair back.

"I'll be fine," I answered. He handed me some water and then I went to my bathroom to shower. By the time I had finished showering and dressing, it was time to leave. So, Oliver and I apparated with my trunk to the Magical Arts Academy in Edinburgh.

The scene that greeted us on arrival was one of chaos. There were students running all over the place. "Apparently, there are students here from over 20 countries," Oliver pointed out. "It's the best Arts Academy in the world."

"Thanks, because I needed to be just a little more nervous," I retorted with a glare. We found my dormitory and started to unpack my bags. We were just about done when my roommate arrived. "You must be Melinda," I said, extending my hand. "I'm Bryony Martin-Wood."

"Yes, it's nice to meet you," she replied. "Where are y'all from?"

"Not far from here," I answered. "You must be American?"

"Born and raised in Texas," she said. "And who is this?"

"I'm Oliver," Oliver answered. We were about to explain that we were married when Melinda's parents arrived. "We'll just let you get settled," I offered, and we left to take a walk around the campus.

We wandered around and snuck out to get a bite to eat before the concert. The entire day, Oliver kept telling me that I would be fine; I didn't believe him. I also didn't believe for a minute that he was going to be entirely fine with our arrangement, but to his credit, he never complained.

Soon enough, we had to make our way to the concert hall. A few of the students who were in the upper years were going to perform for us and give us an idea of what we would be expected to accomplish during our study. Oliver put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple, whispering that I was far more talented than anyone on the stage.

All too soon the concert ended and Oliver had to leave. "I promise to write every day," he said; he kissed me softly and brushed the tears off my cheeks. "Write back to me."

"Every day," I promised. "I'll miss you." I leapt into his arms and held on until I heard the bell ringing, signaling that we had to return to the dormitories.

"I'll see you in a month," he said and with a final kiss, he apparated away, back to our little cottage in Puddlemere.

Sadly, and slowly, I returned to my dorm. Our house mother called us to a dorm meeting. She explained the rules, including that we were to have no overnight guests. Instantly, I started planning a way for Oliver to sneak into my dorm and stay with me for a weekend. The other big rule was that we were not to leave school for at least a month and when we were permitted to leave, it would be to view performances. There were no exceptions. Again, I began planning a way to sneak out for a weekend to accompany Oliver to his Quidditch banquet in October. I made a mental note to write to the Weasley twins for some tips. An hour later, the meeting ended and we were herded to the dining hall for dinner.

After dinner, I went back to my room and saw my roommate for the first time since that morning. "That guy that was with you earlier, he's quite handsome," she commented.

"Thank you," I replied.

"Have you known him long?" she asked.

"Since we were babies," I answered. "We grew up together and he's my best friend."

"It seems to me like he's more than your best friend, darlin'," she pressed.

"He is," I said. I didn't want to talk about Oliver anymore since I was starting to miss him even more and I was on the verge of tears. Melinda was giving me a look, so I asked, "Are your parents staying in Edinburgh?"

"They're flying back to Texas tonight," she answered. "They're what you would call muggles."

"It must be difficult, being so far from home," I offered.

"It's not too bad," she said. "I was really far away when I went to Salem and I didn't know anyone there, either."

"I'm going to shower before bed," I said, grabbing my things. I hadn't intended to shower again, but I also just wanted to be left alone to wallow in self pity. When I returned to my room, there was an owl waiting for me with a note from Oliver, wishing me goodnight and promising to owl again the next morning. I returned the owl with a reply note.

Classes began the next day and my homesickness did not ease at all. I was still easily tearful a full week later, and, while I had started to meet some people, most of them annoyed me (including my roommate who was rather prudish) or didn't speak English. I did meet a pair of 2nd year boys who were from Ireland. "Lass, what's your name?" asked the first.

"Bryony Martin-Wood," I answered. "And you are?"

"Declan McCoy," said the first boy. "And this is my mate, Connor Flanigan. Why do you look so sad?"

"Just homesick," I promised. "I'll be fine." Oliver's owl arrived with my daily letter. It was almost always the same things in the letters. Quidditch was good, he missed me, and he couldn't wait to see me again. I sensed that he was holding back, but I didn't want to press him. My replies were equally sugar coated. I promised him that I was fine, even though I missed him. I didn't mention that I cried myself to sleep almost every night.

"Who's the letter from?" Declan asked. "Your sweetheart?"

"If you must know, it's from my husband," I answered. It was the first time that I acknowledged to anyone that I was married.

"Shut up!" Declan exclaimed. "Connor, this one's married!"

"Are you going to let me finish my letter so that I can write him back?" I asked. They refused.

"Love, you need to tell him the truth about how much you miss him," Connor suggested. He had been reading my reply over my shoulder. "I've been watching you all week and you wait for these letters. Also, you constantly look sad."

"He doesn't tell me the truth, either," I retorted. "I think we both prefer it this way."

"How long have you been married?" Connor asked.

"A little over a year," I replied. "We eloped when I turned 17." I was brushing away a stray tear when Declan declared that we were sneaking out that night to go to a movie. "I can't tonight, but thank you. Maybe next time."

"Bryony, we're going to annoy you until you agree to go with us," Declan stated; Connor nodded in agreement. "If you don't want to go tonight, we'll take you next weekend."

"Fine," I agreed. "Next weekend, I'll sneak out with you, but you have to help me with my roommate." They agreed and soon became my best friends at school. I quickly learned that they were a couple and, as luck would have it, got partnered with Declan in one of my dance classes.

The next weekend, I went with them to the muggle movies. They had perfected the art of sneaking out during their first year and reminded me of the Weasley twins in many ways. They became my best, and only, friends at school and I valued them more than anything else I had with me, save Oliver's bear.

"So, love," Declan asked one morning, "how long has it been since you've had a proper sleep?"

"Since just before I moved in," I answered. "I haven't slept well without Oliver since before we got married."

"When do you see him next?" asked Connor.

"Not soon enough," I sighed. "I appreciate this, lads, but I need to get this work done before my next class." I did some homework and finished the assignment (which was a fairly difficult transposition) just in time to leave for my class.

Another week later, I was still not sleeping well, and to top it off, I had managed to catch a fairly nasty cold. I went to the school healer for some pepper up potion, but she didn't have any, so I was forced to suffer through it. I also got a letter from Oliver that he was to have his first start for Puddlemere in an exhibition game against the Magpies on the next Saturday. I wrote back that I would be sure to listen to the game.

When the game day arrived, I roped Declan and Connor into listening to the game with me. A few people stopped by and asked what we were doing, including my roommate. "Oliver's playing his first professional quidditch game," I answered, waving her off. She hated sports, so I knew she wouldn't want to listen.

Puddlemere won the game and Oliver had some spectacular saves. He was interviewed after the game and I got to hear his voice. He also sent a special message to me, calling me his "Busy Bee," which led to much ribbing from Declan and Connor. As soon as it was over, I was writing him a letter, congratulating him on a seriously amazing game. I also reminded him that the following weekend was the visitation weekend. He wrote back that he couldn't wait to see me and would be here promptly at 5:00 on Friday evening.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**Oliver's POV**

The longest 4 weeks of my life were right after I left Bryony at school for the first time. We both knew it was going to be difficult, but I hadn't thought it would be _THAT_ difficult. I was late for practice at least once because I overslept after tossing and turning all night long. I hadn't realized how accustomed I had become to having Bryony's insanely cold feet on me all night long.

And then, there were the letters. I tried to stay up beat for Bryony because I didn't want her to ditch school just for me. I suspected that she wasn't being entirely honest with me about school, but I didn't challenge her, either.

When she wrote that she had met a couple of friends, I was happy for her. Then, I read that they were both boys and became instantly jealous, until I read that they were gay. And, Bryony seemed happier in her letters than she had before. I decided to try to take a page out of her book and when our beaters, Brian Stevens and Edward Holcombe, asked me out to pub one evening I went with them.

"So, Wood, why is it this is the first time you've come out with us?" Brian asked.

"Because," I answered, "I'm trying to behave for my wife."

"You're married?" Edward exclaimed.

"We eloped just after her 17th birthday," I replied. "And I love her very much, so those 2 lovely young lasses at the bar making eyes at us are going to be all yours as I have to go home and write my lovely wife a letter."

"Where is she?" Brian asked.

"She's at school," I said. "She's going to music school in Edinburgh and I promised her a letter a day until I can see her again in 2 weeks. See you lot tomorrow." With that, I left the pub and went directly home to write to Bryony.

At practice the next day, the coach told me that I was going to be the starting keeper in an exhibition game against the Montrose Magpies. I was practically walking on air. Immediately after practice, I went home and sent a letter to Bryony; her reply came the next day that she was so proud of me and she promised to listen to the game.

I played as well as I could have hoped at the game. As I was making my way back to the locker room, I was approached by a reporter from the Wizard Wireless Network. She interviewed me for a few moments and when she was done, I asked, "Could I say one more thing?"

"What would you like to say, Mr. Wood?" she asked.

"Busy bee, I love you and I'll see you next week," I said.

"And is that for someone special?" she asked.

"The most special person in my life," I replied. "Thank you." I left for the locker room and celebrated with the team.

The next morning, I got a letter from Bryony thanking me for the special message, but scolding me for calling her "Busy Bee" on the air. She was catching quite a lot of crap from her mates about it, apparently. I chuckled inwardly, and sent my reply right away. She had reminded me that I was to visit the following weekend and I promised to be there as early as I possibly could.

By Thursday, I was so over excited about going to see Bryony that I could hardly contain it. I was even let out of practice early by the coach, who was quite taken with Bryony. "Go and see your lovely wife," he ordered.

"No need to ask twice, sir," I answered. I went home to finish packing. Then, I apparated back to Scotland to my parents' house.

"Mum! Dad!" I called, opening the door. "I'm home."

"We heard the game, Oliver," Dad said. "Well done, son."

"Cheers," I replied. "Will you and Mum and Bryony's parents be meeting us for dinner tomorrow?"

"Of course," Mum said, from the door. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "We can't wait to see her either. Will you lot be coming back here for the night or staying on campus?"

"I'm not sure yet," I answered. "Bryony wasn't sure if she'd be allowed to leave and they're forbidden from having overnight guests, but either way, we're sleeping together tomorrow night, and Saturday night."

"We'll meet you at The Witchery by the Castle," Dad promised. "Does Bryony know you're taking her there?"

"It's a bit of a surprise," I answered. "The reservation is at 7:00 so I'll pick her up and bring her out. I'm also going into town a bit early to get her some flowers." Mum smiled, knowingly, at me. She knew I had been crazy about Bryony for years before we finally got together.

I had a hard time sleeping that night; I was too excited. I got out of bed early the next morning and went for a run before breakfast. When I returned, Mum was making breakfast in the kitchen. "You're up early," she mused.

"I have a very busy day today," I said. "And it starts now. I'm going to shower before I eat." When I returned, Dad was reading the paper over his porridge and Mum was reading Witch Weekly over her tea. I ate breakfast and went back to my room to work on a small surprise that I had brought for Bryony. Mum and Dad were curious, but let it go when I promised them it was something for my wife.

After working on Bryony's surprise (a necklace with a bear charm that would heat up for her) and getting it properly charmed, I got dressed to go and see her. I packed an overnight bag and shrunk it so that I could carry it in my pocket. Then, I left for Edinburgh.

When I arrived, I went to the Witchery to confirm the reservation. We would have a private room for just our family. Then, I went to a nearby florist to get some tulips for Bryony. Finally, it was nearly 5:00 and I went to the school to find her. I couldn't find her at first when I arrived, so I was wandering around the main hall, looking lost when someone said, "You must be Oliver."

"Yes," I answered. "And you are?"

"Connor Flanigan," he said, offering his hand. "Bryony is just finishing a rehearsal with Declan. I'll take you there if you like."

"Cheers," I said, following him down a hallway. We arrived at the classroom, but it was empty. Connor suggested that we return to the main hall as he was sure Bryony and Declan would be there. I turned to follow and spotted her in the crowd.

"Bee!" I shouted. Several people ducked for cover, but Bryony turned around and ran at me, full force, jumping into my arms and kissing me fully. I dropped her tulips so that I could pick her up and kiss her back properly.

**Bryony's POV**

"You're early," I scolded, when Oliver put me down.

"No, love, you're late," Oliver retorted. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Yeah," I answered. "This is Declan and this is Connor."

"I've met Connor," Oliver replied. "It's nice to meet you, Declan." They shook hands and Declan and Connor left, making us promise to meet up with them later for drinks.

"Come on," I said, pulling him behind me. "I need a shower and then I need to snog you a lot more." Oliver followed me to my dormitory and waited while I showered. When I returned to my room, I noticed that he had laid out a dress for me. "What's this about?" I asked.

"I may have made us reservations for dinner," he answered. "And these reservations may come with a dress code."

"Sounds lovely," I said, pulling the dress on. I made Oliver help with the zipper. He was finishing it and kissing my neck when Melinda came into the room, followed by her parents.

"We should go," Oliver suggested before Melinda or her parents could rope us into a lengthy conversation. I followed him into Edinburgh, after getting permission to leave campus until midnight. Oliver led me through the town to a very cool restaurant called the Witchery by the Castle. I wasn't expecting to be led to a private room where our parents were waiting.

Dinner was lovely; our parents were very supportive, though both of our mothers admonished me for being too thin. "I'm eating," I promised and the subject was dropped. After dinner, our parents returned home and Oliver and I wandered around for an hour, before we went to meet Declan and Connor.

"So, how is it really going?" Oliver asked, when he was sure we were alone.

"What do you mean?" I countered.

"You look like you haven't slept in a month and you've lost weight," he answered. "How is it really going?"

"It's really going fine," I lied, smiling. "How are you doing?"

"It sucks that you're not home, but I love playing," he said, truthfully. "Let's go and meet your friends." We went to a bar not far from where we were and met up with Declan and Connor. Oliver seemed to really like them.

When we left, he mused, "They remind me of a gay Fred and George Weasley."

"It's scary, innit?" I joked. "Where are we sleeping tonight?"

"Where do you want to sleep?" he offered.

"I have an early rehearsal, so my dorm is probably my best bet, but we've got to make the house mother see you leave at 1:00," I answered. "You'll walk out and then climb the tree outside my room." He agreed and we followed the plan so that the house mother watched Oliver leave. When he returned to my room, I cast an obscuring charm so that Melinda wouldn't see us doing anything. I had also cast a confundus charm so that she wouldn't remember seeing Oliver come back. Finally, I cast a silencing charm. Then, determined, I turned to Oliver and leapt onto him, snogging him fully.

He kissed back and unzipped my dress, letting it fall in a pool to the floor. He had shed his jacket while I was casting charms and I tugged on his shirt removing it as quickly as possible. We shagged for the first time in what seemed like ages, though it had only been a few weeks. When we finished, we lay together, quietly talking long into the night. By the time I fell asleep, I had to be up in just a few hours.

I was rudely awakened by Melinda's screeching. "What the bloody hell are you on about?" I demanded, without thinking that she had just woken to find me, naked, in bed with a man.

"What do you think you're doing? And why is he here?" she shouted. I quickly cast a silencing charm on the room so as not to wake anyone else in our dormitory.

"Oh, shit," I stammered. "He, obviously, spent the night with me. Now, stop shouting before you wake the dead."

"But we're not supposed to have overnight guests," she snapped.

"No, but we haven't seen each other in weeks," I argued.

"Y'all can't be doing this," she said. "I won't stand for it."

I started to argue, but Oliver cut me off. "She's right," he said. "We shouldn't have stayed here last night and we're very sorry if we've offended you. If you'll just let me get dressed, I'll leave and B can get to rehearsal for tomorrow's performance." I gave Oliver a glare, but didn't argue. Melinda went to the loo while Oliver got dressed and apparated out of the dormitory. We spent the day together in Edinburgh, and then I snuck out to his parents' house for the night before coming back to school on Sunday morning.

On Sunday morning, I went to rehearsal and met Oliver in the main hall afterward. We stopped back at my dormitory before heading back out to meet our parents for lunch. Again, I was admonished by our mothers for being too thin. Oliver agreed, which led us to have a fight, in front of our parents.

"Enough, you lot," Stella ordered. "We have to get back to the school if Bryony is going to be on time for her performance."

"Fine," I muttered. "I need to use the loo before we go, though." I went to the ladies' toilet and promptly threw up. My Mum had followed me and asked what was going on. "It's just nerves, Mum," I lied. I had, truthfully, been told to lose weight and was given some tips on how to do it, though I didn't usually follow them as I had a hard time eating anyways.

We left and went to the performance hall. Oliver kissed my forehead before I left him to get into costume. Declan met me backstage. "What's going on, B?" he asked.

"I just had a fight with Oliver," I said, sadly, while we were stretching.

"What did you fight about?" he continued.

"A few things," I said. "He's noticed how thin I've gotten and was pushing me to eat too much. I yelled at him."

"And you don't want him to leave in the middle of a fight," he finished for me. I nodded. "Make up with him after the show." I nodded again.

When the performance ended, I went to find Oliver and my parents in the crowd. I found Mum and Dad, but they told me that Oliver had left immediately after the show ended. "He's gone to Stella and Duncan's for the night," Dad said. I nodded, sadly and went back to find my friends.

When I found Declan and Connor, I told them what my parents had said. "You have to go and see him," Connor ordered. "You can't leave this fight unresolved when he goes back to Puddlemere later."

"If he wanted to see me, he would have stayed behind," I reasoned.

"Go and see him or you'll regret it forever," Declan demanded. I tried to argue, but he and Connor glared at me. So, I went back to my dorm to change before I would apparate to the Woods' house.

I didn't expect to find Oliver waiting for me in my dorm when I got back. "It took you long enough," he scolded when I came in.

"I thought you'd left," I answered.

"I had," he replied. "I went to Mum and Dad's for half a minute before coming back here. I have to be back in Puddlemere for a team meeting later, but I didn't want to leave in the middle of a fight. I'm sorry, about earlier."

"Thank you," I said. "I'm sorry, too." He got up and kissed me and then went to leave. "Please don't leave me here." I had started to cry.

"What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling in front of me.

"I hate it," I sobbed. "I can't do it anymore. Don't leave me here." He stroked my cheek and tried to soothe me.

"Why are you losing weight?" he asked.

"I was told that I had to lose weight to be in the dance troupe," I sniffed. "I've been on a diet since term started."

"Can you handle 2 more weeks?" he asked. I nodded. "You can move home when you were planning to come for my Quidditch banquet. I promise you won't have to stay here longer than that if you don't want to." We agreed that I would stay and Oliver left after kissing me for several minutes.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The next morning, I was scolded, again, by Melinda. I finally snapped and shouted that Oliver and I were married and had been for over a year. "Oh," she said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that y'all were going through all that."

"It's fine, Mel," I promised. "I have to get to class." I left the room and went to class. Declan and Connor caught up with me after that and demanded to know what happened.

"So, how did it go with your hubby?" Connor asked.

"We've made up and I think I'm leaving school in a couple of weeks," I answered. "Before you start, it's not that I don't love you both, but I love Oliver more and I don't think I can do this without him."

"We're glad you're doing something that will make you happy," Declan declared. "But, before you leave, we're taking you out for one last hurrah!"

"Friday night," Connor added. "We'll go to that muggle bar and sing karaoke."

"Cheers, lads," I answered. "I'd love to go out with you lot. And we'll keep in touch so that when you get a break, you'll come to Puddlemere and visit us."

The lads agreed to visit me at some point over their next break. By the time Friday arrived, I was really looking forward to a night out. I had started to eat again and had gained a pound, which led to a stern lecture from my dance instructor, even though Declan promised that he didn't notice the weight change and he was fine with me as I was. To prove that I could manage my own life, I went for a calorie fest with the lads.

Then, on Friday, we went out to a muggle bar not far from the school where we had several drinks and watched people make fools of themselves. It was highly entertaining.

I was also still writing to Oliver daily. When he was here, he had forgotten to give me a present that he had picked up for me. He sent it along with a long letter about how proud he was of me and how much he loved me. It was a very sweet necklace with a bear charm that was charmed to keep me warm. I smiled, and sent a letter thanking him immediately, and promising to repay his generosity as soon as I saw him.

The day when I would return to Puddlemere finally arrived and I packed a weekend bag. I didn't pack all of my things as Oliver had suggested that I not pack everything just yet. If I still wanted to stay home after the weekend, he would come back and help me pack all of my things. I was confident that I would still want to stay home as I had still had trouble eating after Oliver left and I quickly lost any weight that I had gained.

After my last class, I went back to my dorm to grab my bag before I met Declan and Connor. They had offered to help me in sneaking out of the dormitory for the entire weekend. "Do you have the dress?" Declan asked.

"Yes," I answered. "I've got everything I need for the weekend, including some naughty lingerie." I couldn't wait to see Oliver and jump into bed with him.

Oliver was waiting for me when I landed in the garden. "It took you long enough," he teased, picking me up and spinning me around.

"I may have packed a few surprises," I teased. "Come on. Let's get inside."

"Alright, but we've only got a little while," he remarked. "I've promised the team that we'd meet them at the pub tonight. I've been chatting you up to them for weeks now."

"That sounds like fun," I replied, running into the house and shedding clothing as soon as I was inside. Oliver followed, shedding his own clothing as we rushed towards our bedroom.

We arrived at the pub almost 20 minutes late to meet Oliver's friends. "I wonder what they were doing," cheeked Brian Stevens (beater).

"Let's see," joked Edward Holcombe (other beater). "Their faces are flushed and it looks like Oliver's sporting a small love bite on his neck. They're married and haven't seen each other in a couple weeks. They must have been knitting." The entire team laughed and Oliver blushed.

They turned to me for a response and I said, "You lot honestly don't think I'm going to be embarrassed about shagging my husband who I haven't seen in 2 weeks, do you?"

"What happened to the girl who didn't want my parents to know that we were shagging after we were married?" Oliver teased.

"That's your parents, and this lot already knew what we were doing," I replied. "And it was lovely before any of you think to ask."

"Well, that's it, Wood," said Michelle Green, the only female chaser on the team. "We like her. She's going to be coming around, isn't she?"

"I'll be around as much as possible," I replied. We had a great time at the pub, staying until last orders. Oliver had paced himself with the drinking, but I got really pissed drunk since I hadn't been permitted to drink too much at school.

"Ollie-bear!" I slurred. "You are a sexy beast and I love you for it."

"You're not so bad yourself, love," he laughed. "But I think you've had enough for one night." He took away my drink and wouldn't give it back. I pouted until he kissed my nose. I was going to snog him, but someone started making crude jokes. Oliver decided it was time for us to leave.

We were walking through the town, though I was stumbling frequently. Oliver finally insisted that he carry me, so I hopped onto his back and let him carry me home. "Are we going to shag again when we get home?" I asked, still slurring my speech.

"I'm guessing that we'll get home and you'll vomit," he answered. "And, no offense babe, but I don't really fancy shagging you when you're covered in puke."

"I love you too, Bear," I teased.

He was right. Almost as soon as we got home, I bolted for the toilet and emptied my stomach contents. Oliver forced me to drink 2 glasses of water before going to bed, but I still woke up with a nasty hang-over the next morning.

"Good morning, sunshine," Oliver chirped from the kitchen table. He had made eggs and sausages.

"Why is it that you're fine and I feel like I've been hit by a truck?" I whined.

"You drank a lot more than I did," he pointed out. "Do you want something to eat?" I shook my head, but took the offered cup of tea. "You'll want to drink this, too." He gave me a hang-over potion.

"It's not laced with strawberries again, is it?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "It's laced with honey." I nodded and drank the potion.

After breakfast, we took a shower together and then went to the bedroom and back to bed for a while. "Feeling better?" Oliver asked.

"Much," I answered.

"What about school?" he continued, gently stroking my arm.

"I don't know," I replied, sighing. "I miss you terribly, but part of me loves Declan and Connor. Also, I can't stand my house mother, roommate, or dance instructor."

"Why not?" he pressed.

"My house mother seems to think that all men are evil unless they go to the school," I started. "My roommate is a bit prudish and considers sex before marriage to be a cardinal sin, so, naturally, we're going to hell. And my dance instructor insists on weighing us in before each class and announcing whether you've gained, lost, or maintained your weight. It's humiliating, especially when you gain a pound because you eat a slice of cake."

"But you also love performing," he pointed out.

"I do," I sighed. "So, I have quite a conundrum. I can finish the term at school and have a better chance at getting picked up for singing and dancing gigs, or I can come home and shag my husband silly on a regular basis. Also, if I go back, we'll be spending at least one day entirely naked and you know how I hate to lose a bet." I added the last part with a smirk and Oliver laughed.

"In that case, I definitely vote for finishing the term," he replied. "Of course, we haven't been dressed for very long since you've been home."

"I know and I'm thinking you settled much too low with only 1 day naked when we made the bet," I teased. "And before you ask, I'm not upping the ante and allowing you to ask for more naked days." He pouted, but conceded that if I did go back, he would not ask to up the ante. I didn't tell him that I would have gladly spent an entire week completely naked and planned to do it, if he won.

An hour later, we were rudely brought out of bed by a knock on the door, which interrupted a lovely snog. Oliver groaned, but got up to answer. I pulled on one of his shirts and a pair of boy shorts before following him to the hall. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Apparently, there's going to be some press tonight," Oliver answered. "That was the coach. He wanted to warn me that Quidditch Weekly has been asking to do a story on new recruits and who is the most eligible bachelor. They want to know why I'm not single at 18."

"Let me guess," I interrupted. "They seem to think there is a bun in the oven?" He nodded. "There isn't one. At some point, there may be one, but not right now."

"I know," he replied. "The office staff wants us to come by this afternoon a little early, since we'll be traveling with the team. They want to prepare you for the press junket. Apparently, Laurel Thomas hinted that you might need the prep."

"So this means no shagging now and we've got to start getting ready?"

"Got it in one, babe," he answered.

We got dressed and ready to leave in record time. I was able to eat something while my hair was setting (I curled it). When I was finally ready, Oliver groaned about not wanting to have to leave. When we arrived at the Puddlemere United stadium, we were led to the offices by one of the security guards.

"Mrs. Wood," said Coach Bigelow, "it's lovely to see you again."

"Thank you, sir," I replied. "It's lovely to see you again, too. Now, please tell me why we are here."

"Well, Mrs. Wood," he started. I interrupted and insisted he call me Bryony. "Bryony, Oliver has been getting some attention since his start against the Magpies. Some of the Quidditch publications are speculating about why he refuses to be on the eligible bachelor lists."

"They want to know whether he's gay or has a secret wife," I finished for him. He nodded. "Sir, we got married young because we love each other. That's the story. It's not sexy, but there is no baby on the way and I didn't give Oliver a love potion."

"Will you agree to an interview?" he asked.

"After I finish my term at school," I suggested. "And, sir, we get to pick the reporter or I won't do it." He agreed. "There was a lady that interviewed Oliver at the fundraiser game. I would like her to conduct the interview." He agreed to set it up.

"So, you're going back to finish the term?" Oliver asked when we were alone again.

"I hope you're not angry," I said. "I hate to quit in the middle."

"I'm not angry," he promised. "And, we have several weeks without training, meetings, or matches. So, I'm going to stay with my parents in Scotland and sneak in to visit you on the weekends, or you can sneak out to visit me."

"Thank you," I said, stealing a kiss before we were interrupted by the arrivals of the rest of the team and their dates.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

While I was meeting with Coach Bigelow, he tried to warn me about what was coming when we arrived at the fundraiser banquet. Nothing he told me prepared me for being in the fish bowl. There was a purple carpet laid out that we had to walk down to get into the hall. Reporters lined the entire length of the carpet, on both sides. Oliver squeezed my hand before the team was introduced and we were led down the carpet.

"Mr. Wood!"called a reporter from Quidditch Weekly. "Who is this with you? And how are you feeling after that spectacular exhibition against the Magpies?"

"It was a good win for the whole team," he answered. "And this is my date for the evening." I smiled politely and we tried to leave, but the reporters wanted to know more. "Her name is Bryony." Oliver led me further down the rope line.

We saw Rita Skeeter lobbying for position among the other reporters. She tried to get us to speak to her, but Oliver kept his mouth shut, waved, and led me further down the rope line. We finally got to the end and met up with the reporter from the game. Her name was Marty Edison and she was with the Wizarding Wireless Network. "How are you tonight, Mr. Wood?"

"I'm well, Ms. Edison," he answered. "And you may call me Oliver."

"Who is this lovely young lady?" she asked.

"This is my Busy Bee," he cheeked. I swatted at him lightly while Marty laughed.

"That's lovely, Oliver," she replied. "Have a good time tonight."

"Thank you, Ms. Edison," I answered for us, but she insisted that we call her Marty.

"Thank you for steering us away from all of the questions," I said, once we got inside the hall. "This is worse than I expected."

"I'm sorry, love," Oliver answered. "I didn't really know what to expect."

"I know," I replied. "And because you were so sweet, we can spend the entire night and part of tomorrow naked." Oliver smirked but couldn't respond as we were joined by several teammates, who noticed his smirk and started taking the mickey out of us.

The dinner portion of the evening was rather boring. There were awards handed out for the most valuable player and the rookie of the year. Then, the Quidditch Cup was presented to the Tutshill Tornadoes, who boasted heartily. I rolled my eyes.

After the awards, there was some dancing. The music started and Oliver finished his drink before offering me his hand and leading me to a dance. "You look beautiful tonight," he whispered as he spun me around.

"Thanks, Wood," I teased. "You clean up nicely, too."

"So, I was thinking that since I have no plans for next weekend, I could come to Scotland and visit you," he offered.

"That sounds like a lovely plan," I replied, smiling. He leaned down and kissed me gently…and then we saw a flash. A photographer was smirking at us, while Rita Skeeter stood nearby and started pestering us with questions.

Coach Bigelow tried to shoo her away, but she seemed to think there was a story (even though there really wasn't). Finally, I snapped. I yelled at her, "What is wrong with you?"

"My readers just want to know about your life, dearie," she sneered. "Care to give me an interview?"

"No," I answered. "We won't give you an interview and if you print anything, my father will see to it that you never work again." (Dad had several contacts at the Daily Prophet who all owed him favors.) She gave me a glare before demanding to know who my father was. When I told her, she blanched and stormed off, muttering under her breath.

"You lot should get out of here before she starts drinking," Coach Bigelow suggested. "If she thinks there is a story, she'll bother both of you until she has it. Bryony, if you have any pull with anyone, call in your chips now before it gets ugly."

"Thanks, Coach," Oliver said, leading me out of the hall.

As soon as we could we apparated back to our cottage in Puddlemere. I immediately sent a note to my Dad, asking that he call in some favors at the Daily Prophet to avoid having a story, or my photograph, run in the next edition. "If they find out I've been gone from school, I'm going to be expelled," I said.

"It will be fine," Oliver promised. "If they find out you were gone, I'll take the hit. I promise."

"Yeah, but you don't go to school there," I replied. "I knew it was against the rules to break out, but for the love of Merlin, it's worse than Hogwarts with the rules."

"I'm sure that everything will be fine," he said. "And, don't forget, no one is forcing you back."

"I know, but I'd really like to finish this term," I answered. "So, should we shag since I have to be back to school fairly early to avoid getting busted?"

"Never a need to ask twice for that, princess," he smirked. I scampered towards our room, but Oliver caught me and pulled me back to the sitting room. "We haven't broken this room in just yet."

"And I'm guessing you think it's about time we break it in?" I laughed. He smirked and kissed me, pulling me onto the sofa with him. We broke in our sofa, and when we finished, we stayed there, cuddling up in a blanket.

"I'm going to miss you tomorrow," Oliver mumbled.

"Me too," I answered, groggily. "And it IS tomorrow. I have to leave in 5 hours."

"When do you think you want to have kids?" he asked.

"Alright, I'm awake," I said. "I don't think we're there yet, Oliver. We're barely 18. I think we have time to worry about having kids."

"It's all I can think about since this summer," he said. "I was so happy for 16 hours. I want to have kids."

"And we will," I answered. "It's just that I'm not sure I'm ready." He started to pout, so I added, "We can stop using birth control charms after I finish school this term. If by summer, we're not pregnant, we can start trying."

"I knew I loved you for a reason," he smirked.

"Do you want to stay up all night?" I asked.

"Sort of," he replied. "I know it sounds stupid, but I just don't want to miss out on any time with you since it's going to be a while before I see you again."

"You realize that you can come and visit me and I'll sneak out of school?" I reasoned. "Especially since you're not training until after the holidays."

"That doesn't mean that I'm not going to miss you," he argued, kissing my shoulder.

"Fine, then, since we're up, tell me about Puddlemere," I ordered.

And he did. He told me about everything going on with the team, including the most recent news that the current starting keeper had been injured during the last game and his rehabilitation was taking longer than expected. "I'm probably going to start in a few games next season," he finished.

"I'm so proud of you," I muttered, drifting off to sleep.

I didn't sleep for long before Oliver was shaking me awake. "You fell asleep," he scolded.

"What time is it?" I asked, wiping the sleep out of my eyes.

"Almost 8," he answered. "Time to get up for breakfast and we'll get you back to school on time." I groaned, but pushed back from my position on the sofa. I scurried back to our bedroom and grabbed my clothes, quickly showering before breakfast. By the time, I was dressed, Oliver had made toast and eggs for me.

After breakfast, I kissed Oliver and promised to owl him. Then, I apparated back to school. Declan and Connor met me at the gate. "The old bat is still clueless that you were gone all weekend, but your roommate has been tricky," Connor said. "She kept insisting that you hadn't been in your bed on Friday night, even though we did the confundus charms and everything."

"Thanks, lads," I said. I had done a concealment charm on my bag to make it look as though I had been out rehearsing with Declan all weekend.

"So, are you staying for the rest of the term?" Declan asked.

"Oliver and I talked about it and I decided that I didn't want you to have to start rehearsing with Melinda for the winter show," I answered. "I'll finish this term and then, I'm going back to Puddlemere."

I was, luckily, able to escape scrutiny for the next few weeks. Somehow, no one found out that I had been gone for a weekend and, thanks to my dad, no photos were published of me at the quidditch banquet. I had also received an owl from Oliver that he would be in Edinburgh for the next several weekends so that he could visit me. Declan agreed to sacrifice some of our rehearsal time so that I could, as he put it, "shag that boy mercilessly."

With Oliver around more frequently, the end of the term approached quickly. I made sure to send him tickets for our final performance of the term. He arranged, again, to meet me on the evening before for dinner with our parents in Edinburgh.

"You look beautiful," he said, kissing my cheek.

"Is that how you greet your wife?" I teased; then, I forced him to do better with the kiss, which he did. "Now that was better."

"Our parents are waiting for us," he said. "And after dinner, I'm assuming it's drinks with Declan and Connor?"

"You know me too well," I teased. I took his hand and let him lead me to dinner. Over dinner, we told our parents that I would be leaving school after the performance.

"When is the baby due?" Mum asked.

"She's not pregnant," Oliver answered, and I nodded.

"I'm just not happy here," I explained. "I want to go home where I can snog him whenever I want."

"Well said, babe," Oliver cheeked. His mother smacked him playfully, but smiled knowingly at us.

After dinner, we went for a walk until it was time to meet up with Declan and Connor. We had several drinks and made plans to meet up with them over the holidays, inviting them to our cottage for New Year's Eve.

The next day, we had our end of term show. I got to do a song and dance number with Declan and was part of the chorus for the event. Afterward, Oliver met me backstage with a large bouquet of roses.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded and we went back to my dormitory.

Melinda and her parents were there and we finished packing my things with our wands so that we could move back to Puddlemere that night. "Y'all are taking everything?" Melinda's mother asked.

"Yes," I answered. "I'm leaving school to be with my husband." I smiled at Oliver, who winked back at me. Then, we finished packing and apparated home.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Oliver and I arrived home less than 2 hours after the show ended. We ran into Declan and Connor again on our way out. A few of the girls also tried to stop us to flirt with Oliver. "I'll have to get used to that," I mused, "the girls throwing themselves at you. Of course, it's not like it didn't happen at Hogwarts. You're very handsome."

"I'm glad you've noticed," he teased. "And since we're on it, there were a few boys that used to stare at you quite a lot, especially your legs and incredibly firm arse." He squeezed my bum and I chirped, playfully smacking his hand away.

"Now, now, no need to be so cheeky," I scolded. "And I do have great legs."

We unpacked my things and had dinner before taking a walk around town. It was so nice to be back in our bed where I could put my insanely cold feet on Oliver's legs all night. He screeched when I did it the first time that night. "I almost forgot about that," he said while I laughed. Then, he started tickling me, which led to snogging, and shagging.

The next morning, we went for a run before breakfast. After we ate, I asked, "What is on the agenda for today?"

"I thought we could do some Christmas shopping," he offered. I agreed, since we still needed to get presents for our parents and my sister and her family.

We spent Christmas between our families in Scotland. We apparated to his parents' home on December 23 and were told to go to my parents' house for dinner. "We're sorry we're late," I called when we arrived.

"Don't worry, dear," Stella said, wine glass in hand. "Amy is having trouble with Aiden and they're running a bit late."

"Are we holding dinner for them?" Oliver asked, earning him smacks from Stella and from me.

"Dinner isn't ready yet anyway," Mum answered. "They'll be here in 20 minutes."

When they arrived, Aiden was very cranky. "Can I take him?" I offered. Amy looked almost grateful as she handed me my screaming nephew. I walked out of the sitting room with him and to my Dad's den, where I sang to him until he settled down. We went to the table and jaws dropped.

"How did you get him to stop crying?" Amy asked.

"I sang to him," I answered. "You just have to be calm for him."

"Well done, B," Oliver said, pulling out my chair for me. Aiden sat between Oliver and me so that I could feed him. I was offered a drink, but didn't really feel like wine, so I passed. Oliver noticed and brought it up in bed.

"Didn't feel like wine tonight?" he asked.

"No," I answered; he gave me a hopeful look. "I just didn't want it tonight. There is no reason at this point to think that there is any reason I shouldn't drink."

"O.K.," he replied. "Let's get some sleep."

He pestered me again the next day about why I didn't drink any wine at dinner. "I just didn't feel like it," I snapped. "Let it go before our parents start suspecting something." He finally heeded the warning and we spent Christmas Eve with his parents.

Christmas morning dawned early, again. Oliver woke me by pouncing on the bed, again, just as he had the previous year. And, just as in the previous year, he made me open my presents first, though this time, he hid his present to me in the stack. "What is this?" I asked when I found it. It was wrapped in an envelope. He smirked and refused to answer. I opened the envelope and 2 tickets to Paris fluttered to the floor.

"Since we only had 4 days for our last honeymoon and I promised something more exotic, we're leaving for Paris on New Year's Day," he said. I pounced on him and kissed every inch of his face that I could. When I finished, I made him open his presents. He found mine in the stack and ripped the paper off. I had bought him a very lovely bottle of champagne and dinner at a very romantic restaurant in London for New Year's Eve.

"So, I guess it's safe to assume we'll be in London on New Year's Eve?" he asked. I nodded.

"I've already owled Declan and Connor to meet us in London after our dinner for drinks and dancing," I replied.

We kissed and made love and snuggled under the blankets. "We should get downstairs for breakfast," he mumbled.

"Do we have to?" I groaned.

"We could stay here," he suggested, "but my Mum will be knocking on the door anytime now."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Stella knocked on the door and called to us, "I know what you're up to and breakfast is ready."

I laughed as I summoned my pajamas and pulled them on. Then, we made our way downstairs for breakfast before dressing to head to my parents' house for lunch. Amy was already at the house when we arrived, with Aiden and Jake. Aiden crawled over to us and demanded to be picked up. "How's my favorite little man?"I cooed scooping him up from the ground.

"I thought I was your favorite man," Oliver scoffed.

"You are, Bear, but this is my favorite LITTLE man," I answered. "There's a rather large difference."

"Point taken, my love," he said, kissing my head and cooing at the baby.

"Thanks for the presents, Mum and Dad, and Amy," I said. "They were quite thoughtful."

"I wish you would have asked about a toy broomstick for Aiden," Amy scolded. "We're not sure about him learning to fly yet."

"I'll teach him," Oliver promised. "I'm a pretty fair flyer."

"You're brilliant," I corrected.

As the day went on, I watched how Amy and Jake reacted around each other and, though she insisted that they were fine, I didn't buy it. They weren't affectionate towards each other at all and they both became easily frustrated with Aiden. While we were cleaning up from dinner, I sent Oliver to play with Aiden while I cornered my Mum. "Mum, what is going on with Amy and Jake?" I asked.

"You caught on, then?" she asked. I nodded. "I guess it's just a lot of things that Amy didn't want anyone to know about. She's tired from work; she's tired from the baby. Jake doesn't help enough and even if he does help, he doesn't know what he's doing. I'm sort of glad you lot aren't expecting yet."

"We've talked about it and agreed that we're not ready," I said. "That's not to say that we're actively practicing any form of birth control, but we're not actively trying either."

"You lot talk about everything, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course we do, Mum," I answered. "If we didn't, I don't think we'd be happy. Maybe that's what Amy and Jake need to do, spend more time talking to each other."

"What are your rules?" she asked.

"We have an agreement," I said. "We talk a lot in bed or in the bath. We have agreed that there will be no shouting in either of those locations and that whatever we say there, stays between us. I know all of Oliver's secrets and he knows all of mine. And don't give me that look. You know I won't spill."

"We should try that," Amy said sadly from the door. "I wish Jake liked me half as much as Oliver likes you. That's kind of why I always was hard on you. I knew that you and Oliver would find a way to be happy. It sort of sucks that I want that and can't seem to have it."

"What if we took Aiden for a couple of days?" I offered. "You and Jake can go on a mini-holiday and we'll take care of the boy."

"You would do that?" she asked.

"We would be happy to," I promised. "Just make it after the New Year." She and my Mum gave me a look. "Oliver bought us a real honeymoon in Paris. We leave on New Year's Day and will be gone for almost a week. As soon as we get back, though, we'd love to take Aiden. We even have a guest room that we'll set up for him."

Amy, looking happier than I had seen her since her own wedding, readily agreed and ran to tell Jake. Apparently, Oliver had made the same offer to him and they were all too happy to take us up on it.

After dinner, we apparated, with our presents, back to Puddlemere. "So, you had the same conversation with Amy that I had with Jake today, I take it," he said as we crawled into bed.

"Yeah," I answered. "They just seem to need to be able to communicate better. Maybe this will give them the opportunity to do it in an environment that doesn't include all the baby stress."

"So, we'll set up the guest room and take him for a few days when they get back," he finished. "And then, we'll be able to see if we really want to start trying to have one."

"It's like you can read my mind," I joked.

The next day, we set up our guest room to accommodate Aiden. Over the next few days, I took cooking lessons from Mrs. Bennington, who offered to continue tutoring me after we got back from our honeymoon. We also gave an interview to Marty Edison, who was lovely. She was kind, yet thorough, and by the time the interview was over, she had become our favorite member of the press.

On New Year's Eve, we packed our bags for Paris, and for the night, and apparated to London. We went for our dinner, and drank the very nice champagne. "I think this is probably the best champagne I've ever had," Oliver mused.

After dinner, we went to Diagon Alley, where we met up with Declan and Connor for a night of drinks and dancing. Oliver was no longer concerned that I was pregnant, given that I drank a lot that night, and I paid for it later.

When we finally found our way back to our hotel, it was nearing 3:00 AM and we had to be at the train station to leave for Paris by 8:00 AM. I was sick from the drink, but Oliver forced water down my throat and put me to bed. We were, barely, able to make our train.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Paris was, in a word, incredible. Oliver had arranged for tickets to see an opera and a private tour of the Louvre. He also took me on long strolls along the Seine. In the evenings we would have dinner before retiring to our room and our bed.

When we returned, we sent an owl to Amy and Jake, reminding them that we were looking forward to watching Aiden for a weekend whenever they wanted us to. They owled back that they were hoping we would agree to watch the baby the following weekend for a few days.

Amy dropped by with Aiden a week later and spent a few hours with me. Oliver had been called into the coach's office for a meeting about the up-coming season. "Where's Oliver?" she asked.

"He had to go to a meeting at the stadium," I answered. "The coach called him in for a meeting about this coming season. I think they're going to offer him a few starts."

"Or a big promotion to starting keeper," Oliver said from the doorway.

"WHAT?" I shouted.

"The coach said that Wadlow's arm is so damaged that he can't play anymore," Oliver answered. "They've bumped me up to starter and are moving a guy up from the farm team for reserve."

"This is amazing!" I exclaimed. "We have to celebrate."

"This also comes with a quite hefty raise, but also a spread in Quidditch Weekly," he said. "I told him I'd let him know by 5:00 what my answer is."

"It's what you want," I said. He nodded. "Then, owl him now and tell him yes." He smirked and went to send his owl.

Amy left shortly after Oliver's return, after giving us a list of things that Aiden liked so that we would be sure to have them in the house. When she left, I rounded on Oliver. "Why, for the love of Merlin, would you not immediately accept the starting position offer?" I demanded.

"I sort of did, but I told the coach I wanted to talk to you about it a bit before we make it official," he answered, blushing. "I just didn't want to be the husband that does whatever he wants without consulting his wife, especially since this will affect you, too."

"Oliver, I have known for years that you wanted to play professional Quidditch," I stated. "I accepted that you would most likely have girls throwing themselves at you. It's your dream, and I'm proud of you for going after it."

"Definitely still the best wife ever," he teased, kissing my head. "So, when does Aiden come?"

"On Thursday and he's staying until Sunday," I answered. "Amy's going to drop him off in the morning after breakfast."

The rest of the week was spent planning for Aiden's visit. We went shopping and got all of the things on the list. Oliver even insisted on buying some toys in case Amy and Jake forgot them, or brought toys that he wouldn't like. (He was actually right on that one, since the only toys Amy and Jake brought were boring.)

Thursday morning came early and we were running around the cottage getting ready when Amy knocked on the door. "He's had breakfast," she said. "He'll need a bath later; I've thrown some of his bath stuff in here, even though he hates it. Mum and Dad are on stand-by if you need anything and here's the number of the inn we're going to in Ireland."

"Amy," I interrupted. "He'll be fine. Have a good weekend and we'll see you on Sunday."

We had a great time with Aiden for the next three days. Oliver played with him as much as possible and helped me give him a bath each day. When we put him to bed, he went down without a fight. We were mildly surprised since he seemed to fight his parents about going to bed each night.

On Sunday, Oliver even let him ride his toy broomstick, monitoring him closely to ensure his safety. When Amy and Jake came to pick him up, he was giggling at Oliver's antics in the sitting room while I made dinner. "How was he?" Amy asked.

"He was wonderful," I answered. "Oliver has really taken to him."

"I can tell," Amy replied.

"Would you lot like to stay for dinner?" I offered. "I've had cooking lessons from our neighbor, Mrs. Bennington."

"We'd love to," Amy said, smiling. She helped me finish in the kitchen while Jake and Oliver played with Aiden in the sitting room. "So, when are you lot going to start working on a baby?"

"We haven't decided," I answered. "We agreed that we'd talk about whether we're ready after this weekend."

"Do you think you're ready?"

"I'd like to think so," I said. "Oliver was brilliant with Aiden all weekend. I shouldn't be surprised. He was great with his little cousin last year at Christmas."

"What do you mean?" she asked. Then, I explained how Fiona had walked in on us, naked, and wrapped around each other; she laughed heartily. I also explained how she begged to go flying and Oliver agreed to take her, making sure that she was safe for the entire time. "That really is endearing."

"I know," I said. "Don't let him hear you; it'll go to his head." Oliver was trying to sneak up on me. "Oh, there you are, love."

"I'm here," he joked. "Is dinner ready? Aiden's getting hungry."

"Just pulling the pork out of the oven now," I replied. "You could take the beans to the table." I handed him a bowl and a basket of rolls, which he took to the table. Amy and I grabbed the rest of the dinner and followed.

After dinner, Amy and Jake took Aiden home and promised to have us for dinner sometime soon. They also thanked us for watching the baby and looked happier than I had seen either of them in months.

"So, that was an interesting weekend," Oliver said when we were alone.

"And you're wondering whether we're ready to start trying for a baby," I finished for him. He nodded. "What do you think?"

"I think that we had a great time with Aiden and that he was a lot of work," he answered. I was annoyed because it wasn't really an answer. He asked what I thought.

"I think that it was a lot of fun having Aiden for a visit, but I'm not sure about whether we're ready for that on a full time basis," I replied. "But, if you want, I could agree to stop using all forms of birth control. If we're not pregnant in 6 months, we'll start specifically trying to have a baby."

"Agreed," he replied. And so, we stopped using all forms of birth control. We also agreed to start house hunting, since Oliver had earned a big raise when he was named the starting keeper.

A few weeks after our weekend with Aiden, the quidditch season began, so Oliver was out frequently for practices and meetings. He was excited for the upcoming season opener, which would be played in Puddlemere. We had also managed to find a house that we loved and bought it right away. We moved in, with the help of Oliver's teammates, a few days before the opening game.

Oliver made sure I had tickets for the opening game and I took our parents as my guests. We had a box at the top. The game was amazing and Oliver played extremely well. He seemed so focused on the field that it was like he was meant to be there. The game ended with a Puddlemere victory over the reigning champions, the Tornadoes.

I met Oliver at the players' exit as soon as he was done. "You were amazing," I said, leaping into his arms.

"Cheers, B," he replied. He set me down and greeted our parents. Then, he turned and said, "I have to go and change, but I'll meet you lot here for dinner." We went for dinner and then, Oliver and I returned home.

The months went by quickly and Oliver made quite a name for himself in the quidditch world. I had been content to watch from the sidelines and started making friends with the other teammates' wives. Laurel Thomas, in particular, became a very close friend.

But as Oliver's career moved forward, I started to grow bored. We, eventually, agreed that I would start auditioning for theater and dance companies. I contacted Declan and we started auditioning together. We were cast in a ballet and Oliver was there, in the front row, for opening night.

Even as our careers were taking off, Oliver and I were hoping to have our family take off as well. Unfortunately for us, getting pregnant was much easier said than done. After our six months of no birth control, I was still not pregnant. We started trying specifically to have a baby, with no success. I went to several healers, with Oliver, and no one was able to figure out why we couldn't get pregnant.

After nearly a year of really trying, I was becoming despondent. I was home, having finished my last contract with the ballet, and on the sofa one day when Oliver came back from practice. "How are you today?" he asked, kissing my cheek.

"Fine," I said flatly. I took another drink from the beer that I was holding.

"Not this time, then?" he asked, noticing the beer bottle.

"Obviously not," I answered.

"We'll get it next time," he promised.

"Could you stop that?" I snapped.

"What?"

"Every month you say 'We'll get it next time,'" I answered. "And every month you're wrong. Just stop being so bloody positive."

"What would you have me be, Bryony?" he said, through gritted teeth. "Would you have me tell you it's been over a year and we should give it up?"

I was crying by that point and shouted, "I DON'T KNOW! I just don't think I can keep doing this."

"We should go back to the healer," he suggested, calmly.

"Why? So she can tell us there's nothing wrong with me?" I demanded. "I need a break from all of this, Oliver."

"Alright, fine," he sighed. "We'll take a break. Have you eaten today?"

"I'm not hungry," I answered.

"Let's get something to eat," he offered. "I'll take you out since you haven't left the house in days."

"I don't want to go anywhere," I replied. He insisted on getting us take out and left moments later. I considered leaving the house while he was gone, but changed my mind at the last minute. Instead, I crawled back into bed and refused to get up when he returned.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The next evening, Oliver and I had to attend a quidditch league function for charity. He wanted to bail at the last minute, but I insisted that we go. We arrived and walked the rope line and stayed at the event for a bit before we left.

When we returned home, Oliver made a suggestion that I hadn't expected. "The season's over," he said. "We should go away for a while, take a vacation."

"Sure," I said.

"Baby, would you tell me how to make you happy again?" he begged. "I miss your smile."

"I don't know how," I sobbed. "Maybe getting away from everything for a while will be good. Where are you taking me?"

"I thought we could go to Spain," he offered. "I've heard Barcelona is lovely at this time of the year."

"Spain sounds great," I replied, trying to force a smile. He kissed me and we went to bed.

We left for Spain the next week and spent 10 days touring the country. Barcelona turned out to be one of my favorite cities and Oliver was very sweet the entire time. On our last night, he took me to a romantic dinner. We were enjoying a bottle of wine in what we thought was a private room when we heard a shriek. "OH MERLIN! IT'S OLIVER FREAKING WOOD!" she screamed. Apparently, it was one of Oliver's quidditch fans.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Oliver asked.

"I'm your biggest fan," she shrieked. "I can't believe I'm meeting you. Could you sign an autograph?"

"Certainly," Oliver answered, though he blushed. He signed a napkin for her and tried to send her on her way, but she kept walking by our table. Finally, Oliver asked her to stop. "I'm sorry, and I don't mean to be rude, but I'm here with my wife and we're trying to enjoy our dinner. Give me your address and I'll send you a signed poster from the entire team." The girl finally left us alone.

"That was lots of fun," I teased.

"Shut it," he scolded. "If I haven't told you this week, I really love you."

"I really love you, too," I replied. "And thank you for bringing me here. I really needed it."

"I know," he answered. "You've smiled more this week than you have in a year and your smile is one of the things I love best about you."

"And here I thought it was my fantastic legs and very firm arse," I joked.

"I do love those as well," he laughed. "Shall we get going then?" I nodded and took his out-stretched hand. He took me for a walk by the water-front and then back to our hotel. When we got back to our room, he pulled my face to his and kissed me very sweetly, but very deeply. It was the best kiss we'd shared in a year.

We broke for air and I said, "Wow! That was really amazing." The words were barely out of my mouth before Oliver attached his face to mine, yet again. Only this time, we didn't stop with just kissing; we kept going, stumbling over ourselves as Oliver backed me up to our bed, toppling onto it.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want," he panted, peeling off his shirt.

"Shut up and don't stop," I warned. He kissed my neck and nipped at my collar bone, up to my earlobe and back down to my collarbone again. He snaked his hands behind my back and tugged at the zipper of my dress. I pushed him back to let him finish taking it off. For the first time in nearly a year, we made love just to make love; there was no agenda behind it and it was amazing.

"Thank you," I said, snuggling into Oliver and laying my head on his chest. "We really needed that."

"Every once in a while, I'm prone to fantastic ideas," he joked. "I'm just happy I was able to see you smile some more."

We returned home the next day to find an owl from my Mum inviting us for dinner. We deposited our things in our bedroom and flooed to my parents' house. "Mum!" I called, stepping out of the floo. "We're here!"

"Oh, good," she said. "Come into the sitting room." Oliver and I followed her to the sitting room where my Dad was reading the paper. "Amy and Jake should be here soon."

Amy and Jake arrived about 5 minutes after we did, and Aiden came toddling into the sitting room. "Bee!" he shouted and I scooped him up to give him hugs and kisses. "I'm gonna be a big brudder!"

"You are?" I cooed, trying to stifle the tears.

"Aiden, we talked about this," Amy scolded. We all looked at her and she beamed. "It's true, though. We're expecting again."

Amy's announcement turned dinner into a lively affair, and led my mother to turn on me and Oliver. "When are you lot going to get going and have a baby?" she asked.

"When we're ready," Oliver answered; I smiled next to him and nodded, since we hadn't told our parents that we were trying to have a baby. Soon after that, we made our excuses and went home.

"Are you alright?" he asked when we got to our room and sat on our bed.

"No," I whispered, before succumbing to a fit of sobs. "Apparently, they weren't even trying to have a baby."

"Let it out, babe," he said, soothingly. I put my head on his shoulder and sobbed. I don't remember falling asleep, but I woke a few hours later, curled up on my side of our bed. I was alone and got up to find Oliver. I found him in the sitting room, drinking a beer.

"I'm sorry," I said, startling him. I sat next to him on the sofa and took a drink of his beer. "I've forgotten that as much as I've been trying to have a baby, you've been trying too." I pulled Oliver to me and held him as he sobbed.

Once he settled, I led him back to our bedroom. "Let's stay up for a while," I suggested. "We can talk about whatever you want."

"Should we be thinking about adopting a baby?" he said.

"Let's give ourselves a little more time," I offered. "We'll go and see a different healer and if he or she can't help us, we'll look into adopting." He agreed and we spent the rest of the night just talking about anything we could think of.

A few weeks later, I started to feel sick. After 3 days of waking up with extreme nausea, Oliver forced me to go and see a healer while he attended a function for the team. He was waiting when I got home. "How'd it go with the healer?" he asked.

I didn't answer; I just leapt at him and kissed him fiercely. "Alright, what is this about?" he asked when I pulled back.

"I'm not sick," I said, smiling broadly.

"You're not sick?" he repeated. I shook my head and he caught on. "You're not sick in a really good way, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Dad," I replied. "I'm not sick in a really good way. We're due in July, right around your birthday."

"So, I may be getting the best birthday present ever?" he asked; I nodded. "Should we tell our parents?"

"Let's let them stew for a few days before we tell them," I suggested. "Besides, Amy may think that we're doing this to one-up her." He pulled me into his lap and placed his hand protectively over my belly. We both cried a little, until it was time to get up and make dinner.

The next week, there was a Quidditch fundraiser in London. We were barraged with questions from the media about when we would be expecting a baby, but Oliver and I had agreed that we would only give the interview to Marty Edison, since she had been very sweet and supportive to us since Oliver started with Puddlemere.

During the event, many of the wives noticed that I didn't drink anything with alcohol; Laurel commented on it. "When are you lot due?" she whispered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I cheeked. Oliver and I had agreed to wait to tell anyone else until after we had told our parents that we were expecting. She gave me a knowing look, but let it drop.

Christmas arrived the following week and we still hadn't told our parents that we were expecting. So, we decided that we'd make the announcement at Christmas. We arrived at my parents' house on December 23 just before dinner. Amy and Jake were already there with Aiden, who was playing on the floor. Oliver sat down and played with him while I retreated to the kitchen to offer assistance.

"How have you been, dear?" Stella asked.

"I'm really well, thank you," I said, smiling. Subconsciously, I placed my hand on my belly and Stella noticed.

"When are you due?" she asked.

"What?" I replied.

"When is your baby due?" she repeated.

"How could you possibly know?" I demanded.

"You put your hand on your belly and you look at peace," she answered. "When?"

"Summer," I answered. "We're going to tell everyone at dinner tonight, so you lot (my Mum was also in the kitchen) must not say anything until then." They both squealed and hugged me tightly. Oliver walked into the kitchen and noticed.

"They know?" he asked. I nodded. "Then, it's alright that I told our dads, Amy and Jake."

"I didn't tell them," I scolded. "Your mum figured it out, but you're forgiven for spilling."

"So, you lot are happy?" Mum asked. "Because before when we asked, you just said that you'd have a baby when you were ready."

"We tried for a long time to get pregnant, Mum," I replied. "We couldn't be happier and we didn't tell you we were trying because we didn't want to worry anyone. That's why Oliver took me to Spain, and if I'm not mistaken, that's where she was conceived." I had found out the day before that the baby was a girl, but hadn't told Oliver.

"Did you say 'she' was conceived in Barcelona?" Oliver asked, smiling broadly.

"I did," I admitted. "I found out yesterday and was going to tell you tonight." Our Mums squealed again, which brought everyone rushing into the kitchen.

"Alright, what is going on?" Dad asked.

"Bryony's just told us the good news," Mum answered. "And that it's a girl."

Duncan and my Dad both clapped Oliver on the back, while Jake whispered congratulations to him. We were, finally able to sit down to dinner, where the talk quickly turned to babies and baby names. Oliver and I had not discussed names, but had also decided to keep them to ourselves.

"Of course, we'll want to throw you a shower," Mum offered. "Probably sometime in May or early June since you're due in July."

"Cheers, Mum," Oliver said.

We stayed with our parents for the next three days before returning to our house in Puddlemere. When we got back, we started discussing names. "What are you thinking?" I asked Oliver.

"I'm trying to think of a name that I like that doesn't belong to someone I hate," he answered.

"You realize we have over 6 months to figure it out," I suggested. "And we have to let your coaches know soon. And we have to set up that interview with Marty."

"I'll talk to the coaches first thing after they're back from the holidays," he promised. "As for the interview, I'd like to wait a bit and just have the time to ourselves." He stood behind me, placed his hands over my belly and kissed my neck. "I love you both."

"We love you, too," I answered, smiling, and leaning back into his chest.

Oliver's meeting with his coaches went very well. They were genuinely happy for us and commented that we seemed happier than they had seen us in months. Oliver explained that we had tried for a year without success to have a baby. They agreed to make sure that he was available for at least 2 weeks around when the baby was due so that he could be there for the birth. His teammates were equally supportive, as were their wives.

By the time February arrived, we had scheduled an interview with Marty Edison to announce the pregnancy. She was very kind and laughed with us. During the interview, I felt the baby move for the first time, and suddenly grabbed Oliver's hand to place on my belly. It startled him a bit, but his face was priceless when he felt it too.

"Now, that is very sweet indeed," Marty commented. "I'm sure the public would like to know if you have decided on a name yet."

"We haven't, but we aren't telling our parents, so we definitely won't be telling anyone else," I answered. "We want her name to be a surprise when we issue the birth announcement."

"Thank you, Oliver and Bryony Wood," she said, staring into the camera. "This has been Marty Edison, coming from Puddlemere and a stunning and happy announcement from their all-star Keeper. Congratulations to the happy family."


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: This is the last chapter of this story. I'm working on another story and when I'm satisfied with it, I'll begin posting it.

Chapter 37

As the next few months went by, I kept getting bigger, much to my delight. Oliver was away frequently at practices and some pre-season games. But, when he was home, he was helping me get the house ready for the new arrival. We painted a bedroom in light pink, with carousel horses and unicorns, and we started trying to find a name.

"Marian?" Oliver offered. I shook my head.

"Cora?" I suggested; Oliver shook his head. Our conversations frequently went like this and we were only able to find a few names that we both liked. By the day of the shower at the end of May, we had agreed that it would either be Aubrey or Maisie.

While I was at the shower with all of our female relatives and a few friends (including some of the Puddlemere wives), Oliver went with our dads and Jake to the orchard for a fly. The shower turned out to be a lot of fun, until Amy went into labor. We got Jake back and he took her to the hospital while we kept Aiden with us.

The next morning, Oliver and his dad brought all of our shower gifts to the house. "Have you heard from your parents yet?" Oliver asked.

"She gave birth early this morning to a beautiful baby girl," I answered. "They named her Cora."

"It's a good thing we took that off our list then," he mused, carrying a bunch of toys to the nursery. I waddled behind him with a stack of baby clothes.

"Are we sure about Aubrey?" I asked.

"I'm sure, but if you're not, we can re-open the negotiations," he offered.

"I'm thinking Lily now," I said, sheepishly.

"We agreed not to name her after a plant," Oliver reasoned; he was right. We had agreed on that when we went through the floral phase (considering Rose, Lily, Iris, and Ivy).

"I know," I started. "It could be worse, though. We could name her Millicent or Hazel."

"You and I both know that I'll never allow that," he joked. "And I thought we liked Aubrey Leigh Wood." His hand was on my belly and the baby kicked. "See. She likes it."

"Alright," I said. "Aubrey Leigh Wood it is, then."

Our due date was July 6; Oliver's birthday was only 4 days later. When her due date came and went, I started to get a little nervous. The day before Oliver's birthday, our parents came to our house for a dinner party to celebrate. I didn't intend on going into labor during the salad, but my water broke all over the kitchen floor as I was bringing the bowl to the table.

"Bear!" I shouted, grabbing my stomach as a contraction hit.

"What is it, love?" he asked, striding into the kitchen. He noticed my state and exclaimed, "Oh, Merlin! Let's go!" He left me for a moment to get my hospital bag.

"What's going on?" Mum asked, when Oliver didn't return to the dining room.

"We need to go to hospital," Oliver said, returning to the kitchen with my bag. He activated the emergency portkey that our healer had given us at our last appointment and we landed at the maternity ward at St. Mungo's.

While I was led to a room, Oliver sent an owl to his coach that we were at the hospital. Our parents paced the waiting room for several hours. They were joined by Amy and Jake for a little while, but they had to leave to get back to their own children.

It seemed like forever, but Aubrey finally made her appearance just after 1:00 AM. "Happy birthday, Bear," I said, weakly.

"This is by far the best present you've ever given me," he beamed, holding a little pink bundle.

"You should take her to meet her grandparents," I suggested. He smiled and left with her while the nurses finished cleaning me up and brought me to my room.

**Oliver's POV**

"Mum, Dad," I said, entering the waiting room. "This is Aubrey Leigh Wood." Our parents beamed as I passed the little bundle around.

"Well done, son," Dad said, grinning at the baby. "She's quite the beauty."

"She gets that from her mother," I answered. "Hopefully, she'll get her brains and my quidditch abilities."

"You are NOT going to make her obsessed with quidditch," my mother warned. Leona glared at me from behind her.

"Happy Birthday, Oliver," William said. "It's quite a good present you've got there."

"Cheers, Dad," I replied. "She really is spectacular."

I spent another 10 minutes with our parents before taking Aubrey back to Bryony. Our parents all followed so that they could see her. She was resting comfortably in her room when we returned.

"Thanks for waiting," she said when our parents followed me into the room.

"Love, we had nowhere else to be," Leona said. "She's really beautiful. We wanted to see you for a few moments, but we're going to leave and send an owl to Amy. We'll be back in the morning."

"Thanks, Mum," Bryony said, smiling. Our parents filed out, leaving us alone.

**Bryony's POV**

"So, all in all, one of my better birthdays," Oliver joked.

"Are you tired?" I asked.

"No," he answered. "I'm thrilled at this and sad that I have to go play a game on Sunday, but I'm not tired right now. I suppose I'll be tired in a few hours. Are you tired?"

"I just gave birth," I teased. "I'm a little tired."

"In case I forget to tell you later, thank you," Oliver said, kissing my head. I smiled and went to sleep.

I woke a few hours later to find Oliver drooling on himself, asleep in the chair. Aubrey was in her bassinette and starting to stir. A nurse came in and offered to help me nurse her. I agreed and Oliver woke to find me with a baby on my chest.

"I could get used to seeing that," he joked. "How long was I out?"

"I've been awake for 15 minutes and you've been drooling the entire time," I teased. There was a commotion in the hallway and the nurse came running back in.

"Is there a reason that the entire Puddlemere United team is demanding entrance?" she asked.

"It's not the entire team," I replied. "The starting keeper is sitting here and watching me nurse his daughter." I sent Oliver out into the hallway to calm his teammates while I finished nursing the baby. Oliver put his head in to see that I was finished before allowing them entrance.

"This," he said, taking the baby from me, "is Aubrey Leigh Wood."

"Well done, mate," said Brian Stevens, one of the beaters. "She's quite lovely, and the baby is cute too."

"Cheers, lads," I joked. The team stayed for a few moments before being shooed out by Coach Bigelow. "Would you like to hold her, sir?" I offered. He took the bundle from my arms and cooed at her. It was amazing that these men who were supposed to be so tough were floored by a baby.

It wasn't long before the healers proclaimed that Aubrey and I were healthy enough to go home. We were both in the stands at the next game on Sunday, when Puddlemere played the Chudley Cannons. "Who is this?" asked Rita Skeeter; she was pointing at the baby.

"This is Aubrey," I answered. "She was born on Thursday." I took the baby into our box and we watched the game. Afterwards, I waited with the baby for Oliver. He joined us after he had showered and changed and took the baby from my arms.

"Born on my birthday," he proclaimed to several reporters standing by. "Her name is Aubrey and she is just as beautiful as her mother."

"Mrs. Wood, you look amazing," said one reporter. "Was Oliver with you when you gave birth?"

"He was standing by me the entire time," I answered. "He was great through the entire thing."

"How is the baby doing?" asked another reporter.

"She's perfectly healthy," Oliver replied. "Now, if you'll all excuse us, we're going to take her home. Thank you." We walked off and apparated back to our house.

The press was taken with Aubrey almost immediately. She had a very charming disposition and smiled easily, as we quickly learned. The fans, for the most part, were also very happy and we got more than a few offers to babysit. "Like we're taking them up on that," I muttered. Oliver chuckled, but agreed.

As Aubrey got bigger, we fell even more in love with her, if that was possible. Her first Christmas was a truly exciting affair and she giggled as Oliver helped her open her presents. By the time her first birthday rolled around, she had started walking and said her first word (Mama, which I would never let Oliver forget). It was around that time that Oliver started hinting at wanting to have another baby; I agreed.

So, we started working on having another baby and were pregnant within 6 months. Our son, Ian Martin Wood, was born just after Puddlemere, led by Oliver, won the British Quidditch League Championship. I actually went into labor during the celebration dinner, which was captured on film and printed in the Daily Prophet, thanks to Rita Skeeter.

After the birth of Ian, we moved back to Scotland. Oliver retired from playing Quidditch after a shoulder injury side-lined him. He never quit loving the game and, instead of playing, signed on as head coach of the Pride of Portree. I opened a dance school for magical children and taught ballet. We both ended up doing exactly what we were supposed to do.

By the time each of the children were 5, Oliver had taught them to fly. They were really good flyers and Aubrey followed her dad into Quidditch. She turned out to be a very good Seeker. Ian decided that his passion was in healing and he became quite a gifted healer. Oliver and I were both proud of our children.

It seems strange to me that we spent so long not talking while we were at school. I sometimes feel like I missed out on a huge part of Oliver's life, but as he constantly reminded me, he was always my Bear and I was always his Bee.


End file.
